ALTAMONT — Altamont’s grocery store has new ownership and a new name.
At the end of November, Harsh Puri and his father bought the S & W Supermarket from long-time grocer Jerry White.
The family is no stranger to the grocery business. They have stores in Moweaqua, Bushnell, Williamsfield, Mason City and a gas station in Blandsville. The grocery stores are all IGAs.
The family became interested in S & W Supermarket after learning it would close. They decided it would be a good fit after checking out the store and the town.
“We just decided to give it a shot instead of letting it close because there were employees working here, so they were all going to lose their jobs if it closed,” said Puri.
The closure also would have left Altamont without a grocery store, Puri said, noting nearby communities that don’t have such stores.
While most staff has remained the same, the new owner has already made changes, including the name. The store is now called Altamont Foods.
“The name change was because we can’t keep the same name when we do the LLCs,” said Puri.
He noted there was another reason.
“In all the stores we have, we actually name our stores after the town because, at the end of the day, the store is based on that town and those people who shop there,” he said.
Puri has already made changes to improve the store, including adding more items, offering cheaper prices, and offering fresher items.
“Grocery-wise, we have added quite a bit. We changed out the whole produce section,” he said.
According to Puri, the produce is fresher after switching suppliers, and more selections have been added to the meat case.
“We’re actually planning to go strictly IGA products and essential everyday stuff. That way, we can keep the quality up,” he said.
Puri has also changed bread and soda suppliers, resulting in cheaper prices that are passed on to the customers.
Puri said the reaction so far has been fantastic.
“We had a growth from what we started from originally. We have people coming from different towns around us to shop here, and people saying it’s more clean,” he said.
The hours the store is open have also changed with an extra hour added on weekdays and on the weekends. The store is now open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
As Puri continues to make changes, including adding technology and changing the register system, he said more are planned.
“Hopefully, we’re painting the building soon and putting up new lighting in here and outside,” he said. “Just trying to make it better overall.”
Puri noted that wouldn’t be possible without the staff and customers.
“I would like to thank all the staff that stayed and helped me. I would also thank all the communities around us for supporting us,” he said. “We’ll sure make a big difference in the town, and we already do, I’m sure.”