Aug 23, 2011 10:06 AM

C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc has announced a long-term agreement under which C&S will provide procurement and distribution services for all 97 Marsh Supermarkets Inc stores across Indiana and Ohio.

With this agreement, Marsh will be leaving the logistics business. With C&S managing the efficient purchasing, inventory management, and timely distribution of groceries and products from its distribution centers, Marsh will realize greater operational efficiencies and will focus exclusively on its core retail business.

“C&S is extremely pleased to be entering into a long-term supply agreement with a grocery company of Marsh’s caliber and rich history,” said Michael Newbold, executive vice-president of corporate development at C&S. “C&S has a long track record of successful partnerships with some of the nation’s finest grocery retailers and looks forward to the addition of Marsh as a customer. C&S is also very excited about its further expansion into the Midwest and its ability to service new and existing customers from the Indianapolis distribution centers.”

“We are confident that with this change in the direction of our business Marsh will be better positioned to offer enhanced shopping experiences for our customers,” said Joe Kelley, chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Marsh. “We can now focus our full attention and resources on upgrading our current fleet of Marsh stores as well as expanding into new locations by opening new stores or acquiring other supermarkets. Very importantly, this agreement will also mean that 250 former Marsh employees will go to work for C&S and provide them with a knowledgeable and experienced workforce.”

A privately owned company founded in 1918, C&S provides distribution services to grocery chains, independent stores, and military bases, delivering to about 4,600 locations from its distribution centers in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Alabama, California, and Hawaii.

Headquartered in Indianapolis IN, Marsh operates 72 Marsh, 3 O’Malia’s Supermarkets, and 22 MainStreet Markets in Indiana and Ohio, with 40 Indiana pharmacy locations.