Gordon Food Service moves into the Texas market with 6 new stores

Foodservice distribution giant Gordon Food Service Inc. has expanded into the Lone Star State with six new retail locations.

Gordon Food Service (GFS), a Wyoming, Michigan-based, privately held foodservice distributor with operations in the United States and Canada, opened four of the new stores in and around Houston on March 14 and plans to open two more stores at an undisclosed location to open date.

The stores are the first locations in Texas for GFS and the most the company has opened at one time.

Sharon Devine, director of communications and public relations at GFS, said Houston’s fast-growing community, exciting food culture and diverse population made the Texas market attractive to the foodservice retailer.

“We look forward to expanding there,” said Devine.

The leased store locations range from 25,000 to 30,000 square feet and will each employ an average of 40 full-time and part-time employees, according to the company.

While the new stores are primarily geared towards catering to foodservice professionals such as restaurant owners, they will also cater to home shoppers with freshly made goods and produce.

While GFS gave no details on where it might expand in the future, the company “is rapidly renovating many of our existing stores as we expand both in our current region and in the Southeast and Texas,” Devine said. “Our store team is always looking for ways to innovate, grow and expand.”

Currently, GFS operates more than 175 stores and distribution centers in 13 states including Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida and Maryland, among others.

The new Texas locations will offer seasonal products; fresh meat; walk-in customer cool boxes in wholesale for meat and dairy products; and ready meals, in addition to online ordering and same-day delivery options.

The stores, which opened March 14, included two locations in Houston, as well as storefronts in the Katy and League City suburbs. GFS is planning two more locations in Houston but has not yet announced any open dates.

Ranked 16th on Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies 2022, GFS employs 21,300 people nationwide and in Canada and had estimated 2022 revenues of $19 billion.

From the Grand Rapids Business Journal.