Nash Finch buying Omaha-based No Frills Supermarkets

Nash Finch, which operates a regional distribution center in northeast Cedar Rapids, has announced plans to purchase Omaha-based No Frills Supermarkets.

Fourteen No Frills stores are located in Nebraska, 12 of which are in the Greater Omaha market. Four stores are located in western Iowa.

No Frills is owned by seasoned retail executives. The company is led by Fred Witecy, a former Nash Finch employee who will rejoin the company following the acquisition.

After the sale closes, Nash Finch will own 24 supermarkets in greater Omaha, and 41 in the state of Nebraska. The transaction should be completed early in the third quarter of this year.

Nash Finch operated Econofoods and SunMart stores in Cedar Rapids and Marion for many years. The Minneapolis-based company closed its remaining Econofoods store at 2100 Edgewood Rd. SW in November 2006.

Nash Finch's core business, food distribution, serves independent retailers and military commissaries in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Azores, Bahrain and Egypt.