Veteran retailer Sidney Feinstein dies at 86
Veteran retailer Sidney Feinstein dies at 86
Sidney Feinstein, a veteran of supermarket retailing for more than half a century and best known for his long tenure at Kings Super Markets, died Sunday, April 20, at Boca Raton Community Hospital in Boca Raton, FL. He was 86 years old and a resident of Boca Raton.
The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to his son Norman Feinstein.
Sid Feinstein was born Aug. 11, 1921 in the Boston area and was raised in the nearby communities of Dorchester and Chelsea. He got his start in the produce industry working for his father, who had a chain of fruit and vegetable stores in the general Boston area.
After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, he went to New Jersey and eventually joined Kings Super Markets in the early 1950s, according to Jeffrey Shilling, vice president of procurement at RLB Food Distributors in West Caldwell, NJ, which supplies fresh produce to Kings. Mr. Feinstein held a number of positions with Kings, including produce buyer, produce supervisor, produce sales manager, and vice president of produce, meat and seafood. His last position at Kings was vice president of perishables.
After the sale of Kings to British retailer Marks & Spencer in 1987, Mr. Feinstein remained as a consultant to Kings and was also named chairman of RLB until he retired around 1993, according to Mr. Shilling. Then he moved to Florida about 15 years ago.
Mr. Feinstein was a longtime director of the Eastern Produce Council. He received the Phillip Alampi Industry Marketing Award in the 1980s, and was honored by the Fruit, Produce & Allied Division of State of Israel Bonds in 1986.
Mr. Feinstein was something of a mentor to Mr. Shilling, who shared his feelings with The Produce News.
"What do I say about the man who took me under his wing, taught me everything he knew about the produce business and made me an extended member of his own family?" he said. "Sid was always thinking about everyone else. He used to say that we need to make sure the farmers are driving the Lincoln if we ever hope to drive one ourselves. He always made sure that the price we paid to our suppliers was enough to allow them to make a profit. ... But at the same time, he was tough."
Mr. Shilling continued, "I could go on for hours, but perhaps the one word to describe Sid is passion - passion for the produce business, passion for people and passion for his family. Sidney Feinstein made us better human beings, and a part of him will continue to live on in all who knew him."
Mr. Feinstein is survived by his wife of 62 years, Shirley; his sons, Norman of North Caldwell, NJ, and David of Sausalito, CA; his brother George; his sisters, Harriet Kravetz, Evelyn Conviser and Charlotte Figuerido; and three grandchildren. Another brother, Herbert, predeceased him.
The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to his son Norman Feinstein.
Sid Feinstein was born Aug. 11, 1921 in the Boston area and was raised in the nearby communities of Dorchester and Chelsea. He got his start in the produce industry working for his father, who had a chain of fruit and vegetable stores in the general Boston area.
After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, he went to New Jersey and eventually joined Kings Super Markets in the early 1950s, according to Jeffrey Shilling, vice president of procurement at RLB Food Distributors in West Caldwell, NJ, which supplies fresh produce to Kings. Mr. Feinstein held a number of positions with Kings, including produce buyer, produce supervisor, produce sales manager, and vice president of produce, meat and seafood. His last position at Kings was vice president of perishables.
After the sale of Kings to British retailer Marks & Spencer in 1987, Mr. Feinstein remained as a consultant to Kings and was also named chairman of RLB until he retired around 1993, according to Mr. Shilling. Then he moved to Florida about 15 years ago.
Mr. Feinstein was a longtime director of the Eastern Produce Council. He received the Phillip Alampi Industry Marketing Award in the 1980s, and was honored by the Fruit, Produce & Allied Division of State of Israel Bonds in 1986.
Mr. Feinstein was something of a mentor to Mr. Shilling, who shared his feelings with The Produce News.
"What do I say about the man who took me under his wing, taught me everything he knew about the produce business and made me an extended member of his own family?" he said. "Sid was always thinking about everyone else. He used to say that we need to make sure the farmers are driving the Lincoln if we ever hope to drive one ourselves. He always made sure that the price we paid to our suppliers was enough to allow them to make a profit. ... But at the same time, he was tough."
Mr. Shilling continued, "I could go on for hours, but perhaps the one word to describe Sid is passion - passion for the produce business, passion for people and passion for his family. Sidney Feinstein made us better human beings, and a part of him will continue to live on in all who knew him."
Mr. Feinstein is survived by his wife of 62 years, Shirley; his sons, Norman of North Caldwell, NJ, and David of Sausalito, CA; his brother George; his sisters, Harriet Kravetz, Evelyn Conviser and Charlotte Figuerido; and three grandchildren. Another brother, Herbert, predeceased him.
