History
1950
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| Creston, Iowa, store manager Harry Byars changes the store’s sign to the new Hy-Vee name in 1952/1953. The name, suggested by three different employees, combined cofounders Charles Hyde’s and David Vredenburg’s names. |
In 1952 a contest was held to rename the stores which were operating under the names of “Supply Store” or “Service Store,” preceded by the name of the town. The winning name, Hy-Vee, was formed from a contraction of the co-founders’ names Hyde and Vredenburg.
The data processing department (now called the information technology department) opened in 1954, which marked the beginning of the increasing importance of new technology.
Private label products using the name Hy-Vee name and Regal trading stamps were introduced in 1956. Regal stamps were offered to customers for 28 years until being discontinued in 1984.
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| Company president Dwight Vredenburg at the first in-store bakery (Iowa City #1 on Kirkwood Avenue) in 1957. |
In 1957 the first in-store bakery opened, the first of many in-store departments to serve customer needs and provide a one-stop shopping experience.
At the end of 1959, there were 37 stores and approximately 1,200 employees. The first store in a metropolitan area, in Johnston, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines, opened in 1959.
