Pat Fox is doing something that’s somewhat unusual in this economy: He’s tripling the size of his business.
By the end of October, Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly will add stores in Slinger, Hubertus, Jackson and Saukville to its Oconomowoc and Hartland locations.
Fox Bros. is buying the stores from Sheboygan-based Piggly Wiggly Midwest, which had been operating the locations.
The sale continues a Piggly Wiggly Midwest strategy to convert its corporate stores into franchise operations. Once the Fox Bros. transaction is completed, 89 of the 102 Piggly Wiggly stores supplied by Piggly Wiggly Midwest will be franchise stores.
Franchisees adding more locations is part of a trend nationally, said Sean Boland, principal and owner of DS&B, an accounting, consulting and advisory firm in Minneapolis, who follows retail and franchise markets.