Rouses

The company had its start as the City Produce Company, founded in Thibodaux, Louisiana by J. P. Rouse in 1923, which bought produce from local farmers in the Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, as well as the French Market in New Orleans, and shipped them around the United States.

{{cite web |date= |title=Rouses History |url=http://shop.rouses.com/t-s_5.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091116173927/http://shop.rouses.com/t-s_5.aspx |archive-date=2009-11-16 |access-date=2011-09-04 |publisher=Rouses Supermarkets}}{{cite web|url=http://www.retailwire.com/discussion/14770/rouses-gulf-coast-success-story|title=Rouses' Gulf Coast Success Story|last=Anderson|first=George|date=September 24, 2010|publisher=Retail Wire|access-date=September 4, 2011}}

File:Rouses Market, Baronne Street, NOLA 2011 Interior C.JPG, 2011.]]

In 1960, Anthony Rouse Sr. (son of J. P. Rouse) and his cousin, Ciro DiMarco, opened a {{convert|7000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} grocery store in Houma, Louisiana.

In the 1970s, Ciro decided to exit the business and sold his portion of the business to Anthony's son, Ryan Rouse. In the late 1970s Anthony's son Tommy also joined the business. Throughout the 1970s, the company operated stores in Houma, Raceland and the Rouses’ hometown of Thibodaux. During the 1980s, the company opened more new stores in South Louisiana, in the communities of Lockport, Cut Off and Morgan City.

Rouses opened its first store in Metairie in 1995 and was then the largest independent grocer in Louisiana.

In 2003, Rouses opened a {{convert|54000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} store in Covington. That store was followed by other St. Tammany Parish locations in Mandeville in 2005 and Slidell in 2006.

In 2007, two years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the New Orleans area, Rouses acquired A&P’s Southern Division of 17 Sav-A-Center stores, effectively doubling the company in size, and giving the company its first stores in the city of New Orleans and in Mississippi. In 2008, Rouses acquired two additional stores in Mississippi.{{cite news |last=Cure |first=Sarah |date=August 8, 2008 |title=Hancock to get new grocery |work=Sea Coast Echo |url=http://www.seacoastecho.com/news/exec/view.pl?archive=1&num=2394 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331180053/http://www.seacoastecho.com/news/exec/view.pl?archive=1&num=2394 |archive-date=2012-03-31}}

In January 2009, Rouses opened a newly constructed store in Youngsville, Louisiana, a community in the Lafayette area. This location was the first in the Acadiana region for the chain, its westernmost store, and the biggest grand opening event in company history.

In 2010, the company acquired a store in Mathews, Louisiana which was previously operated by Winn-Dixie.{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/rouses_acquires_grocery_store.html|title=Rouses acquires grocery store in Matthews|date=May 27, 2010|work=The Times-Picayune|access-date=September 4, 2011}}

In 2011, Rouses opened a 40,000-square-foot full service grocery store in the Central Business District of New Orleans, ending 45 years without.{{Cite news |last=Donze |first=Frank |last2=Mowbray |first2=Rebecca |date=November 16, 2011 |title=Rouses Market on Baronne Street fills void in Central Business District |work=The Times-Picayune |url=https://www.nola.com/news/business/rouses-market-on-baronne-street-fills-void-in-central-business-district/article_d49adbba-841e-5889-8de7-cb083b82e469.html |access-date=2023-02-22}}

In 2013, Rouses expanded into Alabama by taking ownership of six Belle Foods stores in the Mobile area.{{Cite web |last=Dugan |first=Kelli |date=2013-09-30 |title=Rouses Markets taking ownership of 6 stores in Mobile, Baldwin counties from bankrupt Belle Foods |url=https://www.al.com/business/2013/09/rouses_markets_taking_ownershi.html |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=AL.com |language=en}} The first of those stores opened in Theodore, Alabama on February 9, 2014.{{cite news |last=Dugan |first=Kelli |date=2014-02-09 |title=It's geaux time! Louisiana-based Rouses Markets opens first of 5 Mobile, Baldwin stores |publisher=AL.com |url=http://blog.al.com/live/2014/02/_its_geaux_time_louisiana-base.html#incart_more_business}}

In 2016, Rouses acquired LeBlanc's Food Stores, expanding its presence in the metro Baton Rouge area with 9 additional locations. All LeBlanc's Food Stores were rebranded as Rouses Markets.{{Cite web |last=Boone |first=Timothy |date=October 1, 2016 |title=Rouses Markets increases presence in Baton Rouge area, acquires LeBlanc's stores |url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_94e3eb8c-8803-11e6-86e1-bb5757502e9c.html?sr_source=lift_amplify |access-date=2016-10-03 |website=The Advocate}}

In 2021, Steve Galtier, the former head of Human Resources for Rouses, posted pictures on social media of himself and Donald Rouse Sr., his life partner and former boss, attending the pro-Trump rally in Washington D.C. just before the storming on the US Capitol Building. Although Rouse Sr. claims not to have taken part in the insurrection, many Rouses Market customers called for a boycott of their stores.{{cite news |last=Duchmann |first=Holly |date=7 January 2021 |title=Social media calling for Rouses boycott after photos posted of co-owner at DC rally |work=Greater Baton Rouge BusinessReport |url=https://www.businessreport.com/business/social-media-calling-for-rouses-boycott-after-photos-posted-of-co-owner-at-dc-rally |url-access=subscription}}

• 2018 The Shelby Report of the Southeast's Retailer of the Year {{cite journal |author=Griffith |first=Lorrie |date=December 4, 2018 |title=Rouses Is The Shelby Report Of The Southeast's Retailer Of The Year |url=http://www.theshelbyreport.com/2018/12/04/rouses-southeast-retailer-of-the-year/ |journal=The Shelby Report}}
• 2013 The 8 Best Regional Supermarket Chains in America {{cite journal |author=Gladstone |first=E.C. |date=May 29, 2013 |title=The 8 Best Regional Supermarket Chains in America |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/article/the-8-best-regional-supermarket-chains-in-america |journal=Bon Appétit}}
• 2010 New Orleans Magazine's Best Grocery Store/Deli{{Cite news |date=January 2010 |title=Tops of the Town: Our readers' picks of the area's best |work=New Orleans Magazine |url=http://www.myneworleans.com/New-Orleans-Magazine/January-2010/Tops-of-the-Town/index.php?cparticle=9&siarticle=8#artanc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714144212/http://www.myneworleans.com/New-Orleans-Magazine/January-2010/Tops-of-the-Town/index.php?cparticle=9&siarticle=8#artanc |archive-date=2011-07-14}}
• 2009 Gambit Best Supermarket {{cite journal|last=Coviello |first=Will |url=http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/best-of-new-orleansandreg-2009/Content |title=Best of New Orleans® 2009 |journal=Gambit |publisher=Best of New Orleans |date=August 24, 2009 |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2009 Sophisticated Woman's Best Supermarket {{cite web|url=http://www.thenorthshoresbest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=6&Itemid=11 |title=Shopping |publisher=Thenorthshoresbest.com |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2009 Daily Comet's Best Grocery Store in Lafourche Parish {{cite web|url=http://www.dailycomet.com |title=The Thibodaux Daily Comet | Thibodaux, LA |publisher=DailyComet.com |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2009 Houma Courier's Best Grocery Store in Terrebonne Parish {{cite web|url=http://www.houmatoday.com |title=The Courier |location=Houma, Louisiana |publisher=HoumaToday.com |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2009 Sophisticated Woman's Best Supermarket
• 2009 Jefferson Life's Best Supermarket{{cite web|url=http://thebestofjeff.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=6&Itemid=20 |title=Shopping |publisher=Thebestofjeff.com |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2009 Louisiana Life's Best Places to Work {{cite journal|url=http://www.myneworleans.com/Louisiana-Life/Winter-2008/Best-Places-to-Work-in-Louisiana/ |title=Best Places to Work in Louisiana | journal = Louisiana Life |location=New Orleans, LA |publisher=Myneworleans.com |date=January–February 2009 |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2009 AOL's Best Grocery Stores {{cite journal|url=http://www.dailyfinance.com/photos/most-and-least-favorite-grocery-stores/3658377/?photo=10 |title=Best & Worst Grocery Stores |publisher=Daily Finance |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2008 Gambit Best Supermarket {{cite web|url=http://bestofneworleans.com |title=Gambit Weekly| access-date=2023-08-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901045000/https://www.bestofneworleans.com/|archive-date=2017-09-01}}
• 2008 Sophisticated Woman's Best Supermarket {{cite web |title=The Northshore's Best 2008 |url=http://www.thenorthshoresbest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717020305/http://www.thenorthshoresbest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=16 |archive-date=2011-07-17 |access-date=2011-09-04 |website=Sophisticated Woman |publisher=}}
• 2007 Association for Corporate Growth Louisiana Deal of the Year
• 2007 Sophisticated Woman's Best Supermarket {{cite web|url=http://www.thenorthshoresbest.com |title=The results are in!! |publisher=Thenorthshoresbest.com |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2007 Gambit Best Neighborhood Grocery on the North Shore
• 2006 Sophisticated Woman's Best Supermarket {{cite web |title=The Northshore's Best 2006 |url=http://www.thenorthshoresbest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228035640/http://www.thenorthshoresbest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=15 |archive-date=2010-02-28 |access-date=2011-09-04 |website=Sophisticated Woman |publisher=}}
• 2006 Progressive Grocer Store of the Month {{cite journal |last=McTaggart |first=Jenny |date=February 28, 2006 |title=Store Of The Month: Born on the bayou |url=https://progressivegrocer.com/store-month-born-bayou |journal=Progressive Grocer |access-date=2011-09-04}}
• 2006 Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
• 2005 Gambit Best Neighborhood Grocery on the North Shore
• 2005 St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce Business Appreciation Award – Largest Expansion
• 2004 National Grocers Association Advertising Award Best Commercials
• 2004 National Grocers Association Advertising Award Best Grand Opening Campaign
• 2004 Addy Award Best Grocery Store Commercials
• 2003 Addy Award Best Grocery Store Commercials
• 1999 Food People of the Year (Donald)
• 1995 National Grocers Association Award - Fast Bagger
• 1984 Progressive Grocer Store of the Month

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.rouses.com}}

{{Supermarkets of the United States}}

Category:Companies based in Louisiana

Category:American companies established in 1923

Category:Retail companies established in 1923

Category:Supermarkets of the United States

Category:1923 establishments in Louisiana