Shaw's, along with companion store Star Market, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Eden Prairie, Minnesota–based SuperValu. Together, Shaw's and Star Market comprise the third-largest grocery chain headquartered in New England; behind Stop & Shop and Hannaford, although Shaw's is the largest grocery chain whose stores are located exclusively within the New England states.
Until 2010, Shaw's operated stores in all six New England states; as of 2011 Shaw's remains the only supermarket chain with stores in five of the six. The company is based in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, employing about 30,000 associates in 169 stores. The company markets products under its private labels—including products by Richelieu Foods.
Shaw's was acquired by Albertsons in 2004, which acquired the chain from J Sainsbury plc for $2.5 billion. In 1999, Shaw's acquired the Star Market chain of supermarkets. Star Market was formerly owned by Investcorp, which in turn purchased the chain from American Stores in 1994. American Stores had acquired Star Market through its hostile takeover of Jewel Companies, Inc., in 1984. Jewel acquired Star Market in 1964.
Shaw's operates 156 stores in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, while Star Market operates 13 locations in Massachusetts. Shaw's has an advantage over its competitors in that it operates stores in both the more populous areas of New England (including Greater Boston, Manchester, Burlington, and Portland) and many of its vacation/resort areas (including Cape Cod, the mid-coast of Maine, and Vermont's ski towns). The chain's largest competitors are Hannaford, Market Basket and Stop & Shop.