Harps begins takeover of area Country Mart stores

Harps Food Stores of Springdale, Arkansas, has begun its ownership takeover of several former Country Mart outlets in Southeast Missouri.

Country Mart, 309 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson, was converted to a Harps on Wednesday with stores in Marble Hill and Fredericktown slated for the changeover today and Friday, respectively.

“Jackson is the first of 20 stores we’ve purchased in Missouri and Arkansas to make the transition,” Harps executive vice president J. Max Van Hoose said Tuesday .

Harps operates more than 100 markets in four states — Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Asked whether acquiring supermarkets during a pandemic is an unusual move, Van Hoose said Harps “has been working on this transaction for a year now.”

Both companies have compatibilities, which Van Hoose said should help make for a smooth switch in operation.

“We are both employee-owned and we both use Associated Wholesale Grocers as a supplier,” Van Hoose said.

Customers will not see the Harps name on the Jackson store or any of the other stores right away.

“There will be no visual changes for a few weeks,” said Van Hoose, who also said store manager Kevin Groves, a 19-year Country Mart veteran, will remain in place.

Harps began in 1930 as a mom-and-pop operation with Harvard and Floy Harp opening a store in Springdale at the height of the Great Depression. The couple added a second outlet in 1964.

The company’s website states Harps is the largest employee-owned company with headquarters in Arkansas and the 30th-largest overall in the U.S.

Van Hoose said store patrons should expect an expanded produce section, more product variety and an increased commitment to customer service.

“There are supermarket heroes in both companies making this change happen,” said Van Hoose, who will personally supervise the acquisition of additional area markets in the coming weeks.

Both companies already have markets in three Southeast Missouri towns: Dexter, Malden and Doniphan. Only one will remain in each community after the realignment.

Harps is also acquiring area stores in Kennett, Clarkton and Bernie.

The Jackson Harps has 83 employees, full- and part-time, and all will keep their jobs, according to Groves.