Ariel Lynn Guidry
November 11, 2008
Southern Smith
November 13, 2008
As shoppers made their usual grocery run Thursday to Rouses Epicurean Market on North Canal Boulevard in Thibodaux, they were greeted with a surprise guest.
Gov. Bobby Jindal was standing outside of the store shaking hands with customers.
The governor was there to help announce the opening of Rouses 35th store in Youngsville, La., a town between Lafayette and New Iberia.
The 62,000-square-foot Youngsville store will have the same structural makeup as the Thibodaux Epicurean Market, which is more spacious and upscale than most other Rouses stores.
Third generation co-owner Donald Rouse said, “Everyone is going to be amazed when they see the new store. We have incorporated some new and innovative ideas.”
During his brief address, Jindal said, “You’ve got a homegrown business that is continuing to expand. What makes this announcement so important to our state is not only are they hiring more people, but they sell Louisiana-made goods in their store.”
The Youngsville store will employ approximately 150 to 175 employees. The family business consists of 4,500 employees, which includes several members of the Rouse family tree.
The legacy of the Rouses Supermarket chain began nearly 50 years ago, when Anthony Rouse Sr., along with his cousin, Ciro DiMarco, opened Ciro’s Supermarket in Houma, which became known as Rouses Supermarket in 1975.
To date, Rouses, which is managed by Anthony Rouse’s sons Tommy and Donald Rouse, is the largest Louisiana-owned grocery retailer.
Rouses Corporation caters to southeast Louisiana. The corporation has stores in Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, and St. Tammy parishes.
Donald Rouse said the corporation has no plans to expand in northern Louisiana. Youngsville will be the store furthest from the Thibodaux headquarters. The new store is slated to open in January 2009.
The first Rouses store was a 7,000-square-foot supermarket in Houma, which cost approximately $20,000 to build. Today, the stores range from 15,000 to 70,000 square feet in size and cost anywhere from $10 million to $12 million to build.
Donald Rouse of Rouses Supermarkets welcomes Gov. Bobby Jindal to the family’s La. Hwy. 308 store in Thibodaux Thursday afternoon. The governor toured the store and greeted shoppers before holding a press conference announcing the opening of Rouse’s 35th store in Youngstown, La. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
