Weigel's Celebrates 80th Anniversary

POWELL, Tenn. -- Weigel's Stores is celebrating its 80th anniversary this summer, the chain announced. The company, which is East Tennessee's only family owned local dairy, operates 56 convenience stores and employs more than 500 people in Knoxville and the surrounding areas.

Weigel's was founded in 1931 when brothers William and Lynn Weigel bought six cows for the family's Broadacres Dairy, Chairman and CEO Bill Weigel recalled. The company operated drive-thru milk depots in the early 1960s, opened Knoxville's first convenience store in 1964 and installed the city's first self-service gas pumps in 1970.

To mark its anniversary, Weigel's kicked off an "80 Days of Wow" campaign on June 13 that will run through Aug. 31. The retailer will give away $200,000 in prizes through in-store promotions and social media, and cap off the celebration with a grand-prize cookout in early September.

"The 80th anniversary is about celebrating our 80 years in business from the day my dad bought his first cows," said Weigel. "That was the beginning. Over the years, we've survived economic ups and downs, and we plan on continuing with the next generation. In the meantime, I'm loving every minute of it."

Weigel's signature products include Bun-on-the-Run breakfast biscuits, Monkey Ice frozen drinks, fresh-brewed Kona coffee, flavored cappuccinos and its proprietary Skim D'Lite skim milk.