The new owner of four Memphis Save A Lot stores said he plans to fully stock them, customize inventory by neighborhood and prioritize buying from local vendors who can provide the freshest produce, meats and other foods. 

Richard Gunn, who also recently bought three Save A Lot stores in Nashville and one in Oklahoma, took over ownership of the Memphis stores on May 28. 

Costs in the cart: Grocery store prices continue to rise, sometimes by double digit percentages

They’re located at 4679 Knight Arnold Road in Parkway Village; 3465 Austin Peay in Raleigh; 4696 S. U.S. Highway 61 in Westwood/Westhaven, and 3941 Park Ave. in the University of Memphis area.

“Their inventory levels were really low,” Gunn said. “I’m extremely passionate about keeping my stores looking like a grand opening every day — really well-stocked and not just clean but sparkling clean. And really bring everything back to that local community and find those specific items that work in that particular location.” 

Tennessee grocery-tax holiday ends Oct. 31

He’s already added new equipment at the locations, such as meat grinders. 

“They were buying case-ready ground beef,” Gunn said. “We’ll be grinding fresh ground beef and fresh salt. And that’ll happen within the next two or three weeks.”

Before his most recent venture owning and operating Save A Lot stores, Gunn spent years working as a supermarket executive. 

Seessel’s grocery stores, closed now for 25 years, are still missed

Previous roles include senior vice president of merchandising and marketing at Weis Markets, based in Pennsylvania, and executive vice president of merchandising and marketing at K-VA-T Food Stores, which operates stores in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. 

“All those people have different palates and different things that they love to eat, and we were able to customize those stores,” Gunn said. 

Save A Lot, based in St. Ann, Missouri, is one of the nation’s largest discount grocery chains, with about 900 independently owned and operated stores across 32 states. 

The retailer offers private-label brands to pass significant savings on to customers. 

“I think Save A Lot offers a really good basic program that covers the majority of what we need, but then we customize those offerings,” Gunn said. “And that’s where we’re able to really excel in those local stores.” 

Micro-grocery opening in Raleigh

Each of his four Memphis stores will offer foods tailored to meet the needs of its neighborhood customer base. 

“I’ve got some Hispanic suppliers and some African American suppliers,” he said. “We’re getting all those set up, and then as we move forward, we’ll be customizing or editing to add products to specific stores. I’ve got a lot of experience doing that.”

Gunn said he plans to hold a local vendor summit in Memphis to diversify his inventory and offer new economic opportunities to local food suppliers. 

“It will let people come in and bring what they’re growing or making or producing, and revealing that for a specific store or a cluster of stores,” he said. 

When it comes to customer preference, Gunn said he’s listening. 

“We’re really looking forward to people coming in and telling us what they want that they can’t get, or they’ve got to drive somewhere else to get it,” he said. “We will do our best to jump right on those requests.” 

After Frayser food hub, group opens in Orange Mound

Leon Bergmann, Save A Lot CEO, said he considers Gunn and his team to be first-rate operators. 

“I know their commitment to serve customers with quality products and top-notch service will benefit the Memphis community for many years to come,” he said.