By Adam Hammer, staff writer

Shoppers who buy their groceries at Nelson&8217;s in Albert Lea have likely noticed a recent change, maybe not in how they shop, but in the name.

The grocery store was known as Nelson&8217;s County Market until recently when it became Nelson&8217;s Market Place.

The change comes from Nelson&8217;s change in grocery providers from SuperValu to Nash Finch Co.

&8220;It&8217;s a way for us to bring more competitive pricing to Albert Lea,&8221; Nelson&8217;s co-owner Chris Nelson said.

County Market was a name Nelson&8217;s used under the SuperValu retailing company. They had to drop County Market when they changed providers.

One of the reasons for the change was to gain the Our Family private label that is offered through Nash Finch Co, Nelson said. Our Family offers a Labels for Learning program through which customers bring Our Family labels to their school and the school can collect 5 cents for each label redeemed.

The move to Nash Finch Co. will also give Nelson&8217;s Market Place the opportunity to offer more aggressive pricing.

&8220;We&8217;ll be able to pass on better pricing to the community,&8221; Nelson said.

For the consumers, they will likely notice little change in the way they shop. They will, however, see some changes on the shelves with the addition of Our Family products and more available brands of groceries, Nelson said.

Nelson&8217;s is an independent grocery retailer with a small chain of stores in Minnesota. It is currently looking to expand into other markets in the state and is currently looking at possible opportunities in seven communities.

Nash Finch Co. serves independent retailers and military commissaries in 31 states, the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Iceland, the Azores and Honduras. It is a Fortune 500 company located in Minnestota.

Nelson&8217;s will receive its groceries from the St. Cloud distribution center.