THE TADYCH’S FAMILY MARKET at 1600 S Stephenson Ave. in Iron Mountain. This site and five other Tadych’s locations in the Upper Peninsula and eastern Wisconsin are slated to become part of St. Cloud, Minn.-based grocery retailer Coborn’s Inc. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — A St. Cloud-based company plans to acquire Tadych’s grocery stores in the Upper Peninsula, including in Iron Mountain, and eastern Wisconsin.

In an announcement Tuesday, Coborn’s Inc. stated it had signed a purchase agreement for three Tadych’s grocery stores in the Upper Peninsula — Marquette, Houghton and Iron Mountain — along with Wisconsin locations in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville and Brillion. All of the stores operate under the Tadych’s Econofoods banner except the Iron Mountain site, which is Tadych’s Family Market.

The approximately 800 employees at the six locations all will be hired by Coborn’s Inc. and the stores will continue to operate under the Tadych’s name, the company stated in its news release.

“The Tadych family has run their family of stores with great care and is a highly-respected retailer,” said Chris Coborn, chair, president and CEO of Coborn’s Inc. “We look forward to extending the same operating philosophies in these locations that have made us successful for 100 years — investing and training for our people, supporting our communities and investing in our stores to improve the experience for our guests. We look forward to having the entire Tadych team join our team to learn more about their operations and communities.”

Coborn added, “This is our first entry into the state of Michigan, so we have some things to learn, some added distance to figure out and to onboard their team into our organization.”

James Tadych, owner, and founder of T&C Markets, began his grocery career as a young man working in his father’s family store. He then went on to purchase his own store in Brillion, Wis., in 1968 after returning from U.S. Army service. From there, he continued to add additional locations to serve the region. The Iron Mountain site was Tadych’s first move into Michigan.

“This sale makes perfect sense for our family and for our employees,” said Mike Tadych, Jim Tadych’s son and current owner of T&C Markets. “Coborn’s has long been a highly respected company and we felt perfectly aligned with their values, operational standards, support of the communities they operate in and, most importantly, the company culture and commitment to their employees.”

He added, “We are grateful to all of our customers and employees who have helped us build our business over the past five decades. I know our communities and employees are in good hands as we make this transition.”

The transaction is expected to close in early December, subject to customary closing conditions.

With the acquisition and the opening of a new Coborn’s Marketplace store in Buffalo, Minn., in November, Coborn’s Inc.’s portfolio of grocery stores will expand to 66 locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota and Michigan.

Coborn’s Inc. is a 100-year-old, employee-owned grocery retailer with nearly 9,300 employees and grocery stores across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan and Wisconsin under the Coborn’s, Cash Wise Foods, Marketplace Foods, Hornbacher’s and Tadych’s banners. Coborn’s Inc. also operates numerous fuel, liquor and pharmacy locations.

To support its 130 various retail business units, Coborn’s Inc. operates its own central bakery, dry cleaning facility and grocery

distribution center. In 2021, Coborn’s Inc. was recognized by the Shelby Report Midwest as their Retailer of the Year.