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| Pioneer
Spirits
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Before there was Carrs there was J.B. Gottstein & Company. Way
back in 1915 when Anchorage was still a rough hewn town of sawmills,
blacksmith shops and saloons, J.B. Gottstein began supplying
groceries and other staples to Alaskans, making it today, the
oldest company in Alaska. A generation later in 1949, J.B.'s
son Barney, fresh out of school, assumed management of the company,
and began expanding it into the region's largest wholesale grocery
distribution center. One of Barney's early customers was Larry
Carr. In 1947 Larry moved to Anchorage intending to just make
enough money to return home to Southern California. In 1950
he opened a quonset hut grocery store on Gambell Street which
proved to be an immediate success. Larry now called Alaska home.
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| Growing
with Alaska |
| Unsurprisingly,
Barney Gottstein and Larry Carr's business dealings expanded
as Alaska took its place among the 50 states and its economy
and population boomed. In 1974 the two companies merged,
pooling their retail grocery resources, their assets in
drug stores and shopping centers, and their unparalleled
knowledge of the Alaskan market. The move made the company
the state's largest retail chain, now with 24 locations.
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| A
Local Institution
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a few years 60% of the entire population of Alaska lived
within three miles of a Carrs store. Although the company
has small outlying bush stores to serve the state's scattered
citizens, the bulk of the sites are large supermarket/drug
store combinations that respond to local needs and interests
in Fairbanks, Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Survey
after survey has positioned Carrs as Alaskan's most highly
regarded source of fresh produce and meat at the most
competitive prices. Equally as impressive are its scores
for service and fast checkout. |
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| A
Legacy of Firsts |
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Alaskans have come to expect continuing innovation at
Carrs. It was the first supermarket chain in the state
with a 24-hour pharmacy, the first with service delis
and fresh bakeries, soup and salad bars, the first with
scanning, 59-minute photo processing and in-store banking.
Simultaneously the company has managed to enhance its
core, year-round grocery business (with seasonless produce
like tomatoes from Israel and raspberries from New Zealand)
thanks in large part to operating its own, and Alaska's
only, full-line food distribution center. |
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| Carrs
and the Community |
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The company has always understood that its customers are
its greatest asset. Trained interviewers regularly monitor
shoppers' needs and attitudes. Carrs commitment has always
reached out to the community it serves. The company has
donated more than a million pounds of food annually to
non-profit organizations and churches. Carrs is actively
involved in dozens of programs from the March of Dimes
and the United Way to local hospitals and Little League
teams. From the very beginning, as it is today, Carrs
is deeply and proudly Alaskan. |
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