Market of Choice is owned by the Wright family of Eugene, Oregon, and operates as a privately held company called Market of Choice, Inc.1Wikipedia. Market of Choice Zach Wright is the current president, having stepped into the role after his father and longtime CEO Rick Wright died in June 2025.2Market of Choice. Market of Choice Expands Portland Presence with Completion of Basics Market Acquisition The chain operates 12 stores, all within Oregon.
How the Wright Family Came to Own the Chain
The business traces back to Richard Wright Sr., who ran grocery stores in Oregon. In 1979, his son Rick Wright took over the family operation, which at the time included locations under the Thriftway and Price Chopper names.3Oregon Business. In Conversation: Rick Wright, CEO, Market of Choice Rick reorganized the operation and rebranded the stores. Price Chopper locations first became “PC Market” before fully adopting the Market of Choice name, a transition that began around 2000.1Wikipedia. Market of Choice
The rebrand came with a strategic shift. Rick Wright moved the stores away from conventional discount grocery and toward an upscale model built on prepared foods, local sourcing, and a deep organic inventory. That repositioning became the identity the chain carries today.
Who Runs the Company Now
Rick Wright ran Market of Choice as CEO for more than four decades until his death on June 29, 2025, from natural causes at his home in Eugene.4Lookout Eugene-Springfield. Friends, Family Remember How Market of Choice CEO Rick Wright Quietly Changed Lives
Zach Wright, Rick’s son, had spent 13 years working in the company’s IT department before moving into broader leadership after his father’s death. By early 2026, Zach held the title of president and was actively steering the company, including overseeing the January 2026 acquisition of Basics Market in Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood.2Market of Choice. Market of Choice Expands Portland Presence with Completion of Basics Market Acquisition The corporate headquarters remain in Eugene.1Wikipedia. Market of Choice
What Private Ownership Means Here
Because Market of Choice is privately held, no shares trade on a public stock exchange, and the Wright family retains full ownership.1Wikipedia. Market of Choice There are no quarterly earnings reports filed with the SEC, no outside shareholders pushing for short-term profit targets, and no mechanism for a hostile takeover.5Securities and Exchange Commission. Form 10-Q – General Instructions The family can reinvest earnings into store improvements, employee programs, and supply-chain infrastructure instead of distributing dividends, and ownership decisions stay within the family rather than being subject to a board elected by outside investors.
The grocery industry has seen wave after wave of consolidation, with national conglomerates buying up regional chains. Market of Choice’s private status keeps it off that chessboard. The Wright family doesn’t have to entertain acquisition offers, and no shareholder group can force a sale.
The tradeoff is access to capital. Public companies can raise money by issuing stock. Market of Choice has to grow from its own cash flow or through conventional debt financing. That constraint helps explain the chain’s measured expansion pace over several decades, with all 12 stores staying entirely within Oregon rather than branching into neighboring states.6Market of Choice. Find a Grocery Store in Oregon Near You