Raley’s grocery chain sets table for the future
By Mark Glover, Sacramento Bee
West Sacramento-based Raley’s marked its 80th year with a flurry of moves that arguably made 2015 the busiest year in its history.
Significantly, the moves came during a year in which Raley’s became president and CEO Michael Teel’s company, literally.
In May, Jim and Joyce Raley Teel announced that they would transfer majority ownership to their 64-year-old son. With that, the grandson of founder Tom Raley assumed 92 percent ownership of the 12,000-employee company founded in 1935.
Foremost among the 2015 developments, Raley’s announced growth plans after a prolonged period of standing pat.
Teel acknowledged that Raley’s is positioning itself to better compete in a Northern California/Nevada marketplace that has become increasingly crowded over the past decade, with Safeway, discount grocers and Walmart Neighborhood Market stores cropping up and touting low prices.