Regional Grocer Acquires Market Opened by Lottery Winners

An Iowa couple is cashing out after cashing in.

Eight years after Brian and Mary Lohse used their Powerball lottery winnings to open the Brick Street Market in Bondurant, Iowa, the couple is selling the 20,000-square-foot store to Fareway Stores (Boone, Iowa), a grocery chain with locations in seven states.

Fareway says it will interview Brick Street Market employees in the coming days and anticipates the store closing for remodeling in early January. The deal is expected to be finalized in early 2023.

Mary Lohse picked the winning numbers that hit the $202 million Powerball jackpot in late 2012. The couple opted for a lump sum payout instead of a 30-year annuity, leaving them with $90.9 million after state and federal taxes. Their newfound wealth has given them the opportunity to do heaps of good for their community, according to the Des Moines Register.

“While it was not an easy decision to make, in deciding to sell the grocery store to Fareway, we know that they will carry on those same values and provide greater opportunities to both our employees and our wonderful community,” the Lohses said.

Fareway operates more than 130 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. It opened its newest store in July with a 7,400-square-foot meat market in Olathe, Kan.