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Private company

Johnnie's Foodmaster

Supermarket chain in Massachusetts, US

Johnnie's Foodmaster, more commonly known as simply Foodmaster, was a chain of supermarkets in the Boston Metro Area. It had its headquarters in Chelsea, Massachusetts and all stores were located in the state. On November 18, 2012, all ten stores closed, with six leases being transferred to Austin, Texas–based Whole Foods Market, and two to Quincy–based Stop & Shop; the future of the remaining locations was unknown at the time of closure.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1947Founded1
  • Industryretail1
  • HeadquartersChelsea1
  • Founded inEast Cambridge1

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Johnnies Foodmaster Arlington
Photo: User:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons3

Johnnie's Foodmaster, more commonly known as simply Foodmaster, was a chain of supermarkets in the Boston Metro Area. It had its headquarters in Chelsea, Massachusetts and all stores were located in the state. On November 18, 2012, all ten stores closed, with six leases being transferred to Austin, Texas–based Whole Foods Market, and two to Quincy–based Stop & Shop; the future of the remaining locations was unknown at the time of closure.2

How it started

History

John DeJesus Sr. opened his first store in East Cambridge, MA in 1947. At the time of the chain's closure, it was controlled by his son, John DeJesus.

The chain operated eleven stores simultaneously at its peak. A location in Swampscott, MA ran from 2000 until 2004, which was converted to a Whole Foods Market upon its closure. As competition in the region increased, Johnnie's experimented with ways to better cater to its clientele. The Revere location was subsequently converted in 2010 to a Save-A-Lot, a discount supermarket brand under license from SuperValu. Johnnie's management intended to review each of the other store's shoppers to determine if any other locations in the chain would be good candidates for conversion as well. Citing the economy and competition from nearby Stop & Shop, PriceRite, and DeMoulas Market Basket locations, the Revere Save-A-Lot closed on February 12, 2012.

From Wikipedia’s article on Johnnie's Foodmaster, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Timeline

  1. 1947Founded Founded in East Cambridge1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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