Piggly Wiggly
An American supermarket brand credited with pioneering self-service grocery shopping.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Piggly Wiggly is an American supermarket brand whose historical importance comes from changing how consumers bought groceries. Clarence Saunders opened the first Piggly Wiggly store in Memphis, Tennessee, in September 1916. Unlike the prevailing grocery-store model, in which customers handed a shopping list to a clerk who collected the goods, Saunders's store allowed shoppers to enter, move through aisles, select packaged products themselves, and pay at a checkout counter. The format helped establish the basic operating logic of the modern supermarket. The original store combined several innovations that later became standard across food retail: customer self-service, organized departments, individually marked prices, shopping baskets, controlled store entrances, and dedicated checkout lanes. Saunders used a turnstile and a deliberately arranged aisle layout to guide customers past merchandise. The system also encouraged unplanned purchases, making product packaging and recognizable consumer brands more important. Saunders secured a patent for the self-service-store concept in 1917, and Piggly Wiggly Corporation expanded the model through franchises granted to independent grocery operators. The chain grew rapidly during the 1920s. At its reported peak in 1932, the business had approximately 2,660 stores and annual sales above $180 million. Its success encouraged other independent grocers and regional chains to adopt self-service methods. Piggly Wiggly therefore became not only a retailer but also a format innovator whose influence extended well beyond stores carrying its name. The company’s corporate history was marked by financial and ownership changes. In 1922, Saunders attempted to force a rise in Piggly Wiggly’s publicly traded share price by buying shares in response to substantial short interest. The New York Stock Exchange determined that a corner had been created and removed the stock from the exchange’s board. Saunders ultimately lost control of the company and was required to turn assets over to the banks that had financed his leveraged position. Piggly Wiggly was subsequently divided into regional units, several of which were sold to grocery companies including Kroger, Safeway, National Tea, and Colonial. The Canadian business was sold to Canadian Safeway in 1935. Although Saunders left the company, Piggly Wiggly continued operating through regional and franchise structures. The brand survived several decades of industry consolidation and later became part of larger wholesale and distribution businesses. Malone & Hyde acquired Piggly Wiggly in 1982, Fleming Companies acquired Malone & Hyde in 1988, and C&S Wholesale Grocers acquired most of Fleming’s business after Fleming entered bankruptcy in 2003. C&S later acquired the Piggly Wiggly Carolina warehouse operation in 2013 and Piggly Wiggly Midwest in 2021. Today, Piggly Wiggly is primarily a licensed brand used by independently owned and operated supermarkets. As of 2024, roughly 503 stores operated under the name across 18 U.S. states, with a concentration in Southern and Midwestern communities and smaller cities and towns. C&S Wholesale Grocers supplies and licenses much of the current network, while some regional operators use cooperative distribution arrangements. The stores generally offer conventional supermarket products, including groceries, produce, meat, dairy, bakery goods, frozen foods, and household merchandise. The brand’s contemporary positioning combines neighborhood accessibility and value-oriented grocery shopping with the historical recognition associated with its unusual name and pioneering retail format.
History
Piggly Wiggly was established by Clarence Saunders in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1916. Its first store was announced on September 6 and opened five days later at 79 Jefferson Avenue after construction delays. The store addressed a structural problem in early twentieth-century grocery retail: customers generally did not browse shelves and collect products. Instead, they gave a list to a clerk, who selected the merchandise from behind a counter. Saunders introduced a self-service arrangement in which shoppers entered through a turnstile and walked through a controlled sequence of aisles. They selected their own goods from approximately 605 packaged items arranged in departments before taking them to a cashier. The store used individually marked prices and dedicated checkout lanes, practices that reduced the labor required to assemble orders and gave shoppers more control over the purchasing process. The layout also exposed customers to more merchandise and increased the possibility of impulse buying. Saunders patented the self-service-store concept in 1917. Piggly Wiggly expanded through franchising, allowing many independent retailers to operate under the brand and use the company’s methods. The format proved commercially influential. Grocery businesses across the United States adopted self-service practices during the 1920s and 1930s, helping establish the supermarket model later used by large national and regional chains. At its reported high point in 1932, Piggly Wiggly had approximately 2,660 stores and annual sales exceeding $180 million. The company’s early corporate history became complicated by Saunders’s financial strategy. In 1922, he attempted to counter heavy short selling of Piggly Wiggly shares by purchasing stock and pushing the price upward. The price reportedly rose from $40 to $120, but the exchange’s governing body concluded that Saunders had created a corner in the stock. The shares were removed from the exchange board, and the highly leveraged position collapsed. Saunders reportedly lost millions and surrendered control of the company to the banks that had financed the attempt. After Saunders’s departure, Piggly Wiggly was separated into regional operating units. Portions were sold to companies such as Kroger, Safeway, National Tea, and Colonial. Three Texas stores were sold to the emerging H-E-B in 1927, and the 179 Canadian Piggly Wiggly stores were sold to Canadian Safeway in 1935. Saunders no longer had an association with Piggly Wiggly, although he continued developing automated and self-service retail ideas, including the Keedoozle concept, until his death in 1953. The remaining Piggly Wiggly organization continued into the postwar period through franchise and regional arrangements. The brand’s corporate structure remained influential into the 1960s, when hundreds of stores operated under agreements with the Piggly Wiggly Corporation of Jacksonville, Florida. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the brand became linked to grocery wholesalers. Malone & Hyde acquired it in 1982, followed by Fleming Companies’ acquisition of Malone & Hyde in 1988. Fleming filed for bankruptcy in 2003, and C&S Wholesale Grocers acquired most of Fleming’s business, including Piggly Wiggly. C&S subsequently acquired the Piggly Wiggly Carolina warehouse operation in 2013 and the Piggly Wiggly Midwest warehouse operation in 2021. Piggly Wiggly is now mainly a licensed supermarket identity used by independent operators. The brand is concentrated in the Southern and Midwestern United States, particularly in smaller communities. Its stores sell standard supermarket assortments, while its strongest distinctive asset remains its historical role in creating the self-service grocery format. The origin of the name has never been definitively established; accounts attributed to Saunders include a story about seeing piglets attempting to pass beneath a fence and an explanation that the unusual name was selected because people would ask about it.
- 2021
C&S acquires Piggly Wiggly Midwest warehouse operations
[1]C&S acquires the Midwest regional warehouse operation associated with Piggly Wiggly.
- 2013
C&S acquires Piggly Wiggly Carolina warehouse operations
[1]C&S expands its support infrastructure for the brand by acquiring the Carolina regional warehouse operation.
- 2003
C&S acquires most of Fleming’s business
[1]After Fleming enters bankruptcy, C&S Wholesale Grocers acquires most of its business, including Piggly Wiggly.
- 1988
Fleming Companies acquires Malone & Hyde
[1]Piggly Wiggly becomes part of Fleming Companies through its acquisition of Malone & Hyde.
- 1982
Malone & Hyde acquires the brand
[1]Ownership moves to grocery wholesaler Malone & Hyde.
- 1935
Canadian stores sold to Canadian Safeway
[1]All 179 Canadian Piggly Wiggly stores are sold to the Canadian Safeway division.
- 1932
Reported peak of early store network
[1]The company reaches a reported peak of approximately 2,660 stores and annual sales above $180 million.
- 1927
Three Texas stores are sold to H-E-B
[1]Three Piggly Wiggly stores in Texas are sold to the developing H-E-B grocery business.
- 1922
Stock-market corner attempt ends Saunders’s control
[1]A leveraged attempt to counter short sellers causes a dispute with exchange authorities and contributes to Saunders losing control of the company.
- 1917
Self-service store concept is patented
[1]Saunders secures a patent for the self-serving store concept that underpins Piggly Wiggly’s operating model.
Products and positioning
Value-oriented neighborhood supermarket brand with a pioneering self-service heritage.
Supermarket retail · 1916
Piggly Wiggly supermarkets
Independently owned neighborhood supermarkets operating under the Piggly Wiggly name. Store assortments generally include packaged groceries, fresh produce, meat, dairy, bakery goods, frozen foods, beverages, and household products. The exact range and services vary by local operator.
Retail format · 1916
Self-service grocery format
Piggly Wiggly’s foundational retail format lets shoppers select merchandise directly from organized aisles and take it to a checkout counter. The concept incorporated individually marked prices, department organization, controlled entrances, and dedicated payment lanes, all of which became common features of modern supermarkets.
Brand decisions
1935
Sell the Canadian store networkM&ABackground
Following the company’s restructuring and regional divestitures, the Canadian operation was separated from the broader Piggly Wiggly system.
Action taken
The 179 Canadian Piggly Wiggly stores were sold to Canadian Safeway.
Aftermath
Piggly Wiggly ceased to operate its original Canadian store network under the same ownership structure.
1922
Attempt to counter short selling in Piggly Wiggly sharesOtherBackground
Piggly Wiggly stock had substantial short interest, and Saunders sought to raise the price through aggressive share purchases.
Action taken
Saunders attempted a short squeeze, reportedly moving the share price from $40 to $120 before exchange authorities ruled that a corner had been established.
Aftermath
The stock was removed from the exchange board, Saunders lost control of the company, and the business was reorganized into regional units.
Reported share price. $40 → $120 (1922)
1917
Protect the self-service-store conceptStrategyBackground
The new store model represented a distinct departure from clerk-served grocery retailing.
Action taken
Saunders obtained a patent covering the self-serving store concept.
Aftermath
The patent helped formalize Piggly Wiggly’s role as an early developer of self-service retail methods.
1916
Adopt self-service grocery retailingStrategyBackground
Traditional grocers typically collected products for customers. Clarence Saunders sought to lower order-assembly labor and increase shoppers’ exposure to merchandise.
Action taken
Piggly Wiggly introduced customer-controlled store navigation, product selection from aisles, and payment at dedicated checkout points.
Aftermath
The model became a major influence on grocery retail and was widely adopted by other stores during the 1920s and 1930s.
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