MARENGO – Wisted's in Marengo will no longer operate under the Piggly Wiggly brand effective Sept. 21.
The store has been in Marengo for the past 56 years and at its current location on Grant Highway since the early 1990s, said Wisted's owner Susie Marsh, whose father is Harold Wisted. Wisted's partnered with Piggly Wiggly in 2013 and converted all three of its stores to the brand. The stores are in Marengo, Woodstock and Huntley.
The Marengo store is the only location that remains open. The family closed the Woodstock location in February when its lease was up, less than a year after the Huntley store closed its doors.
“We want to be more independent like we used to be,” Marsh said.
Marsh said that the murmurings of the Marengo store closing are unfounded and that the grocer isn’t going anywhere. The store is no longer issuing Piggly Wiggly cards, however.
Madison, Wisconsin-based Certco will now supply the store with its products. The grocer's house brand is Shurfine, which customers who shop at Woodman's should recognize, Marsh said.
Customers should see the benefits of the change quickly, Marsh said.
“We will have a lot more variety,” she said. “We’ll have a new ad and no card, so card-free savings.”