Jim Ukrop, the longtime leader who expanded Ukrop’s Super Markets across Central Virginia, has died in Richmond at 89, a loss the mayor called a blow to the city.
Jim Ukrop died Friday in Richmond at the age of 89, WRIC reported. He was the eldest son of Joe and Jacquelin Ukrop, who founded the family grocery chain that became a fixture of the region.
City leaders and longtime shoppers knew the Ukrop name as more than a store brand. It stood for a home-grown business that grew store by store, then left a deep mark on Central Virginia retail before the chain was sold in 2010.
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula paid tribute on Instagram on Saturday, Sept. 26. He framed the death as a civic loss, not only a private one.
"This weekend, Richmond lost an incredible leader, laborer, and friend."
Avula added:
"Jim poured himself into countless efforts, always helping open doors for others, and has always had a tremendous hand in helping create the growing, vibrant Richmond of today."
Joe Ukrop opened the first Ukrop’s Market in 1937 at 3111 Hull Street in South Richmond. The business started as a single neighborhood store, not a corporate roll-up.
In 1960, Jim joined the company full-time. The company’s website has described him as the force behind the expansion of Ukrop’s Super Markets.
By the end of the 1960s, the family had five stores in South Richmond and Chesterfield County. That was only the middle chapter.
Ukrop’s later grew to 29 locations throughout Central Virginia. The chain was sold in 2010.
The arc is familiar to older readers who watched local firms rise on thrift, long hours, and customer trust, then face the pressures of scale, competition, and succession. Jim Ukrop spent decades in the thick of that work.
William and Mary’s alumni magazine listed the family he left behind. He is survived by his wife, Barbara “Bobbie” Berkeley Ukrop, and his brother, Robert “Bobby” Ukrop.
His sons are Scott Ukrop, with his wife, Lilo, and Joseph Edward “Ted” Ukrop, with his wife, Katie. He is also survived by five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
No cause of death was reported. No funeral details appeared in the initial account.
What did appear was a clear civic judgment from City Hall: a businessman who built stores, opened doors, and helped shape modern Richmond left the stage at 89.
Family firms like Ukrop’s do not grow to nearly 30 stores by accident. They grow when owners show up, take risk, and keep faith with the customers who pay the bills, a lesson worth remembering when the founder’s generation passes on.