New Leaf Becomes New Seasons Subsidiary

New Leaf Community Markets has joined Portland, Ore.-based New Seasons Market as a wholly owned subsidiary. 

Founded in 1985, New Leaf is a pioneer in the natural and organic grocery industry with eight stores in Santa Cruz, San Jose, Half Moon Bay, Pleasanton and Capitola, Calif. Like New Seasons Market, New Leaf is a certified B Corporation, which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Both grocers also give back to the community by donating 10 percent of their after-tax profits to nonprofits in the communities and neighborhoods they serve.

“Joining with New Leaf will advance both companies’ missions and values, and creates smart scale on our own terms,” said Wendy Collie, New Seasons Market’s president and CEO. “We see combining with this like-minded, B Corp. certified grocer as a way to grow thoughtfully and sustainably. As we learned about their history, their progressive business, their culture and mission, we realized they were a perfect match for New Seasons Market. Together, we can leverage the power of good, share best practices and strengthen our positions as independent natural grocers.”

The combined company will be based in Portland, and Collie will lead both companies. New Seasons Market will operate from Portland and New Leaf will operate from Santa Cruz, with the founders and management team of New Leaf continuing to run their stores. 

To ensure a successful partnership, New Leaf’s founder, Scott Roseman, will join New Seasons Market’s board of directors. Together, New Seasons Market and New Leaf are committed to an operating model that ensures each community-focused store makes local operating decisions and serves as a resource and partner to the customers, vendors and staff they serve.

“I can say with confidence that the same people at New Seasons Market and at New Leaf will continue to make operating and purchasing decisions on a local level, our values will remain the same and our commitments will stay unchanged,” said Collie.

“We are very excited to join with New Seasons Market,” said Roseman. “When we determined it was the right time to consider options to support healthy growth, we wanted to align with a company with a similar culture and values, and an authentic dedication to supporting local communities, local farmers and staff. New Seasons Market is that company.”

Together, the companies will gain long-term benefits from collaboration and sharing best practices in a fast-growing marketplace. Over time, they will look for opportunities where their combined strength and scale can be leveraged, including providing farmers and local food producers new opportunities to grow their businesses, and giving staff more opportunities for professional advancement.

Founded in 2000, New Seasons Market is a leader in the grocery industry and the first grocer to become a certified B Corporation, which recognizes businesses that place as much value on taking care of their staff, the community and the environment as they do on growing and operating their business. 

With nearly 2,700 employees, the independently owned grocery operates 13 stores in the Portland-Vancouver area, and is one of the Portland area’s largest private employers. Three additional stores are scheduled to open between fall 2014 and spring 2015.