Chatham was a

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

chain, now-defunct, headquartered in southeastern

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, United States. Founded by Royal Supermarkets in the mid-1950s, Chatham was often compared to Kroger in size and selection. Typical of many grocery stores of its time, Chatham was unable to keep up with big-box grocery competitors, including Michigan-based Meijer. Kroger subsequently purchased former Chatham locations after the chain went out of business.

Demise

In 1986, Chatham was then owned by Nu-Trax, Inc., headed by Wendell Smith. In March 1986, the company was purchased by Alex Dandy, a businessman who owned Hamady Brothers food chain in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

. Dandy illegally diverted assets of the company to his personal benefit, and Chatham was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1987. Dandy was convicted in 1991, of tax offenses, mail fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and obstruction of justice. He died in 2003.

References

External links

Chatham memories - site for former Chatham employees. Includes history of company
Retail companies established in the 1950s Retail companies disestablished in 1987 Defunct companies based in Michigan Defunct supermarkets of the United States Bankrupt companies of the United States Companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1987 1987 disestablishments in Michigan {{US-retail-company-stub