Riesbeck's Food Markets

Riesbeck's Food Markets is a regional American supermarket chain based in St. Clairsville, Ohio, with stores in Ohio and West Virginia. The business traces its origins to the Riesbeck family and to Margret (Schumacher) Riesbeck, who established a small corner grocery in Woodsfield, Ohio, in 1925 after the death of her husband, Clement Riesbeck. The enterprise later developed into a larger grocery operation serving the surrounding communities. A significant early turning point came in 1932, when Margret opened the first store identified as a Riesbeck's location at another site in Woodsfield. The new property provided substantially more space than the original corner store and allowed the construction of a considerably larger retail building. That location remains associated with the company's history and is described as still standing in Woodsfield. Riesbeck's operates as a community-focused food retailer rather than as a national supermarket chain. Its typical assortment includes groceries, fresh food, household necessities, and other general supermarket merchandise. By October 2025, four locations also included pharmacies, extending the chain's role beyond food retail into basic health-related services. The company is notable for its employee-ownership structure. A majority of its stock is owned by employees, giving the business an ownership model distinct from publicly traded supermarket corporations and from many privately held regional chains. In 2016, the National Center for Employee Ownership ranked Riesbeck's 96th on its Employee Ownership 100 list; the company was reported to have approximately 1,260 employees at that time. Riesbeck's remains concentrated in the Ohio Valley region, with 15 grocery stores reported in the reference material. Its geographic footprint is comparatively compact, reflecting the chain's origins in southeastern Ohio and its continuing emphasis on local and regional communities. The available reference material does not identify a public parent corporation, stock-market listing, current chief executive, or a detailed chronology of later expansions. Accordingly, the best-supported description is that Riesbeck's is an active, employee-owned regional grocery retailer whose identity is rooted in family origins, local market service, and continuity across generations.

Riesbeck's Food Markets originated in Woodsfield, Ohio, during the interwar period. Clement Riesbeck's death left his wife, Margret Schumacher Riesbeck, responsible for supporting the family. After relocating from Martins Ferry to Woodsfield, Margret opened a small corner grocery in 1925. The store represented the beginning of a family retail business that would eventually become a multi-store supermarket chain. In 1932, Margret opened the first store operating under the Riesbeck's name at a separate Woodsfield location. The newly acquired property offered a substantially larger site than the original corner grocery, making it possible to build a store several times larger. The Woodsfield location is an important part of the company's historical identity and is reported to remain standing. Over time, the business expanded from its Woodsfield foundation into a regional grocery network serving parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Its operations developed around conventional supermarket retailing, including food and household necessities. The chain's regional scale and concentration in the Ohio Valley distinguish it from national supermarket operators with broad multi-state or nationwide footprints. Ownership is a defining feature of the company's later identity. Riesbeck's is employee-owned, and employees collectively hold a majority of the company's stock. This structure places the company within the employee-ownership movement and connects the workforce directly to the ownership of the retail business. The National Center for Employee Ownership included Riesbeck's at number 96 on its 2016 Employee Ownership 100 list and reported approximately 1,260 employees at that time. The available reference material describes Riesbeck's as operating 15 grocery stores in Ohio and West Virginia. By October 2025, four stores also had pharmacies, indicating a limited expansion of the chain's in-store service offer beyond grocery retail. No supported information in the supplied material identifies a public listing, a parent corporation, a current executive roster, or specific acquisition and rebranding events. Riesbeck's documented history is therefore primarily one of gradual regional development from a single family-founded grocery in Woodsfield into an employee-owned community supermarket chain.

• 2025

  Pharmacy services reported at four stores

  [1]Riesbeck's Food Marketsen.wikipedia.org

  By October 2025, four Riesbeck's locations were reported to include pharmacies in addition to grocery operations.

• 2016

  Recognized among major employee-owned companies

  [1]Riesbeck's Food Marketsen.wikipedia.org

  The National Center for Employee Ownership ranked Riesbeck's 96th on its Employee Ownership 100 list and reported approximately 1,260 employees.

• 1932

  First Riesbeck's store established

  [1]Riesbeck's Food Marketsen.wikipedia.org

  Margret opened the first store identified as a Riesbeck's at a larger Woodsfield site, enabling a substantially bigger retail operation.

• 1925

  First corner grocery opened in Woodsfield

  [1]Riesbeck's Food Marketsen.wikipedia.org

  After relocating to Woodsfield following Clement Riesbeck's death, Margret Schumacher Riesbeck opened a small corner grocery to support her family.

A regional, community-oriented supermarket chain with a longstanding Ohio Valley presence and employee ownership.

• Food retail

  Grocery merchandise

  Riesbeck's core offering is conventional supermarket merchandise, including packaged foods, beverages, fresh food, and other everyday grocery necessities. The assortment supports routine household shopping in the Ohio and West Virginia communities served by the chain.

• General supermarket retail

  Household and general merchandise

  In addition to food, the stores carry household necessities and related general merchandise typically associated with a full-service grocery market. The available sources do not provide a detailed department-by-department assortment.

• Pharmacy retail

  Pharmacy services

  Four stores were reported to include pharmacies by October 2025. These in-store pharmacies broaden the selected locations' services beyond food and household retail, although the supplied material does not specify the pharmacy network's launch date or full service range.

1. 1Riesbeck's Food Marketsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Through the Lens: Welcome Riesbeck's to Our Communitywetzelchronicle.com