Dive Brief:

• Stop & Shop, the 394-store chain that dominates the supermarket business in the Northeast, kicked off a year-long celebration of its 100th anniversary with a party outside the company's Quincy headquarters. 
• Stop & Shop's first location, called Economy Grocery Stores, opened in Somerville, MA, in 1914. Four years later the company opened what is considered the first modern, self-serve supermarket. 
• As part of the centennial celebration, Stop & Shop plans to offer $1,000 a day for 100 days to local charities and to offer vintage packaging of select items. 

Dive Insight:

Almost everyone who grew up in the Boston area has a soft spot for Stop & Shop. The chain is as much a part of the city as the Red Sox or the harbor. But for folks who grew up in Boston in the 1970s, Stop & Shop has an extra special place in the heart.

That's because Stop & Shop is mentioned in the opening lines of what some may say is the greatest song ever written about Massachusetts, possibly just the greatest song ever written: Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers' "Roadrunner." 

Novelty aside, it's great to see a supermarket chain thriving after so many years, even as multiple competitors have cluttered the marketplace. Perhaps this is a testament to consumer loyalty, or a testament to Stop & Shop's continued business savvy -- perhaps both.