On August 12th, the River Market Community Co-op, together with Mississippi Market Co-op, proposed a merger of our organizations to our respective owner communities. As a River Market Board Director (and fellow owner!), it was so exciting to be able to share this news with all of you.
I’ve talked with some of you since the announcement of this proposed idea and it’s been wonderful to hear such positive feedback and excitement. When this idea was first proposed to the River Market Board of Directors there were a couple of points that resonated with me.
First, the change that is being proposed is clearly a merger of equals. The River Market and Mississippi Market have each served in the Twin Cities for nearly 50 years. They operate a total of four similarly sized stores across four different neighborhoods. It helped me to know that if the merger goes through, each store will continue to reflect the values and needs of its own unique community, just like they currently do today.
Second, this merger allows these currently very financially healthy stores to become even healthier. By unifying the already existing strengths of both stores, our buying power grows and we can maximize resources to better support the staff and systems needed to keep the business running.
Third, the grocery landscape is a competitive market. Where you spend your money for groceries matters. Choosing to buy your groceries from stores that actively support your community makes a difference to our health, the local food shed, and our local economy. This unification helps us to build a more resilient, sustainable community-owned food system in a competitive market. Ensuring that grocery options like River Market and Mississippi Market are available for us well into the future.
What’s Next?
Member engagement is very important to move this proposal forward and your vote is needed to shape the future of River Market. Below are a couple of things you can do:
- Visit the website dedicated to this merger rivermarket.coop/together to learn more.
- Get to know both Mississippi Market and River Market. Stop into all of the stores and learn about the people and communities that each store serves.
- Attend a community conversation to learn more about key details of the merger and get any questions you have answered. Click here to RSVP: rivermarket.coop/community
- Cast your vote. When every member-owner votes, our co-op community thrives. Online member voting will take place September 12 – October 8, 2025 as part of each co-op’s annual election.