Like Father, Like Son

If you live in Sydney or Adelaide, you’ll probably be familiar with the Romeo name and hopefully have been lucky enough to experience the amazing in store European inspired cheese rooms that they are famous for!

The Romeo Family first started in the supermarket industry in 1987. Paul and Anthony Romeo were 20 and 18 at the time and had an ambition to move into retailing, so with their parents Tony and Elisabeth, the family purchased their first small convenience store in Adelaide. Joseph started stacking the shelves after school when he was 12 years old and after many years of hard work building the business, the Romeo Family now run 40 IGA and Foodland IGA stores in South Australia and NSW.

And whilst the number of stores has increased dramatically from that first small convenience store, what has never changed is their family first mentality, their focus on customer service, their support for local producers and suppliers and their commitment to doing what is right by their local communities.

The Romeo Family motto is “Family owned, community minded”, and they live these values every day, supporting hundreds of local charities, sporting clubs, and community groups every week. To date they have raised more than $5 million for local charity groups. Their biggest passion is supporting Dream Ride, a movement that helps make dreams come true, providing leadership, independence, and inclusion, embracing individuals with an intellectual disability.

Joseph says: “Dad has always played such a vital role in our lives. In the early days, as a builder by trade, he updated and renovated our stores so we could better serve the local community. His leadership and guidance have been the backbone of our success, right from the very beginning.

“The most important lesson that Dad has taught us is how to work as a family and how to work as a team. Family always comes first. Many family businesses have challenges, keeping the family together, but Dad has been instrumental in keeping us all moving in the same direction.”

Joseph continued: “Dad has always instilled in our family and our staff a strong belief in supporting the local community and local suppliers, and in building relationships. We are so lucky to have been able to learn from him and are proud to be following in his footsteps and instilling these same values in the next generation that is coming through our business.”