Wilfred Von der Ahe

Wilfred Luer Von der Ahe (May 9, 1910 – November 20, 1998) was a German American entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of the Vons supermarket chain in Southern California.

Personal life and family Von der Ahe's parents were Charles T. Von der Ahe (1883–1973) and Linda Luer (1887–1973). He was one of eight children, with five boys and three girls: Theodore, Wilfred, Karl, Walter, Virginia, Clyde, Muriel, and Dorothy.

Von der Ahe was married to Mary Jane Von der Ahe (1911–2006, née Smith) in 1934, and they remained married for 64 years until his death. They had four children and 18 grandchildren.

Vons Grocery Company

Von der Ahe's father Charles had opened Vons Groceteria in 1906, and expanded to 87 stores by 1928, but he sold the business a year later. A few years later, Von der Ahe and his brother Ted (Theodore) convinced their father Charles to provide financial backing, and they opened the Vons Grocery Company in 1932. In 1948, Vons opened a pioneering store which offered self-service, pre-packaged produce, meat, and deli items, which has been called by some the first supermarket and established Vons and Von der Ahes as leaders in the industry. Many features of supermarkets today, such as volume buying, the big store, the open refrigerated case, centralized meat-cutting, and the cent-off food coupon stem from the early days of competition between Vons and Ralphs. When the company went public, Vons had annual sales of $100 million and 28 stores. In 1960, it acquired the sixth-largest competitor, Shopping Bag Food Stores, a merger that was challenged by the Federal Trade Commission on antitrust grounds. In 1966, the United States Supreme Court ruled against Vons in United States v. Von's Grocery Co. (384 U.S. 270), forcing a re-divestiture of the stores.

After the sale to Household Finance Corporation, Von der Ahe stayed on as Corporate Vice President until he retired in 1975.

Other activities He played a leadership role in the food industry, serving as vice president of the Supermarket Institute, vice president of the National Association of Food Chains, and President of the California Grocers Association. Von der Ahe also continued to engage in community and civic leadership, serving on numerous boards, and engaging in philanthropy of Catholic and educational institutions as president of the Von der Ahe Foundation. The Von der Ahes provided funds to Loyola Marymount University to create the Wilfred and Mary Jane Von Der Ahe Communications Arts Complex. They were also founding donors for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Honors and awards First inductee into the California Food Industry Hall of Achievement by California Grocers Association (awarded 1991) Cardinals' Award from Los Angeles Diocese (awarded 1992) Knight of Malta