Big Bear Stores was an American regional supermarket chain operating in the U.S. states of Ohio and West Virginia between 1933 and 2004.

The first Big Bear Store opened on February 15, 1934, on West Lane Avenue in Columbus, Ohio, in what was once a dance hall, a roller skating rink and finally a tan bark ring for horse shows.

In 1990, the credit union moved into its first office with its own public entrance, located in converted warehouse space at 851 W. 3rd Avenue in Columbus.

The company's success began to falter in the late-1980s with new competition from alternative formats like Cub Foods and Meijer entering its market area.

Due to the increased competitive situation, the chain made the hard decision to put itself on the auction block in late 1988 after 54 years as an independent company, including periods of both public and private ownership.

The large supermarket holding company Penn Traffic, which owned several regional chains, purchased Big Bear in April 1989 with an offer of $35 (~$75.00 in 2023) per share for all outstanding common stock.

[1] In 1993, Big Bear Stores became a division of the Penn Traffic Company, and went through a series of changes in business and marketing strategies, such as moving down-market, to aim at a broader segment, but alienating their wealthier clientele.

As long-time Columbus area shoppers complained about declining conditions in the Columbus area stores, Hawkins and company launched its infamous "All We Did Was Listen" advertising campaign in June 1997, which featured Hawkins speaking in front of Big Bear employees in a reassuring tone of voice.

[2][3] Hawkins' plan was to take Big Bear from its role as an upper market chain to a more "competitive" level by reducing overhead in store operations.

As sales volumes continued to drop due to increased competition, it resulted in lower payroll costs which caused conditions in the stores to decline.

As the Big Bear division began to have cash flow issues in 2003, product suppliers pulled their items from store shelves as most accounts went past due.

The chain's demise was finalized in 2004 when the last Big Bear store closed its doors, following Penn Traffic's second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a decade.