United Supermarkets began in Sayre, Oklahoma, and was a Texas-based family-owned company for most of a century. Now in its 103rd year of operation, The United Family® has grown to be the third-largest private sector employer in Lubbock, with 4,225 team members in the Hub City and 18,000 across Texas and New Mexico.

Part of the Lubbock community since 1956, The United Family®, a wholly owned subsidiary of Albertsons, remains headquartered in Lubbock. Employing 3,326 people in Amigos, Market Street and United Supermarkets retail stores and another 1,025 in corporate support roles, one in seventy people in the Hub City is employed by The United Family. As the corporate headquarters for the retail stores and auxiliary businesses, 900 jobs have been added to Lubbock since the merger in 2015. With 100 percent of the support functions based in Lubbock, an additional $100,000,000 is pumped into the Lubbock economy annually from the corporate support sector alone. 

With 94 grocery stores and 37 fuel centers across Texas and New Mexico, in addition to distribution centers and a manufacturing operation in Lubbock, United remains true to its core value of giving back to the communities in which it does business. In 2018, United donated well over a million dollars to meet community needs in Lubbock alone, and its U-Crew volunteers provided more than 2,000 hours of service to local charities. 

As with any successful business, the key to longevity at United Supermarkets lies with its customers, or “guests” as they are called at United. Robert Taylor, CEO, said, “The loyalty of our guests has given us the means to continue to invest in local community causes. We couldn’t do any of this without the support of our shoppers.”

The loyalty found in United guests also translates to their team members, with dozens reaching tenures of 30 and 40 years with the company. Among the executive leadership of the company, Sidney Hopper, president, began as a sacker in 1980, while Chief Operating Officer Chris James and Chief Merchandizing Officer Wes Jackson have tenures of more than 40 years with the company, also beginning as sackers.    United is also committed to employing people with special needs, believing in providing an equal life chance for those with disabilities.  United is steadfast in letting business decisions be guided by the idea that in all things, simply doing the right thing is the best choice.