From a small, struggling cooperative with eight Members – all owners of their own grocery stores – Wakefern Food Corp., the merchandising and distribution arm for ShopRite, has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States and the largest employer in New Jersey. The cooperative is comprised of 45 members who individually own and operate supermarkets under the ShopRite banner. Today, Wakefern and ShopRite together employ more than 50,000 people throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.