OUR HISTORY

The Klose’s story started in 1893 when Carl (Charlie) & Alvine Klose opened a general store in the town of Blumberg (now Birdwood).

Nine years later, Charlie, Alvine and their five children relocated to Lobethal and opened a new store selling groceries, drapery, hardware and fodder. They also imported drapery & crockery and their family eventually grew to include 10 children.

During the Depression years, their youngest son Reg ran a hawker’s van selling drapery and other goods to farmers and outlying towns. In the late 1930s he opened a store in Birdwood, then in 1949 opened a second store in Mt Pleasant. In 1955 Reg opened a new self-serve grocery store in Birdwood.

Seven years later with the help of his sons Graham and Barry the Klose’s expanded by purchasing a run-down store in Lobethal and converting it from a behind counter service to a small supermarket operation.

After some years of consolidation, Reg and Barry focused their retail energies on Lobethal, building a new larger supermarket in the Main Street in 1980. From there the business grew to include supermarkets in Woodside, Balhannah and Littlehampton.

In 2017 Barry Klose was awarded an OAM for his charitable work in the Adelaide Hills community.

In 2018, Klose’s restored a piece of its history by purchasing a store in the township of Birdwood, returning to that community after 48 years.

Early in 2020, Klose’s opened a brand new store in Woodside, featuring a much larger Foodland and the first Klose’s liquor store. Later that same year Klose’s opened a new supermarket and liquor store in Nairne.

In 2023 Barry Klose was honoured by Foodland with a lifetime Hall of Fame award for his many years of service trading the Klose’s family stores under the Foodland brand.

In 2024 the third Klose’s liquor store was opened in Birdwood, giving this community access to a locally owned liquor store to compliment the supermarket.

For over 130 years, and now in its fourth generation, Klose’s is still committed to providing a convenient, high-quality service to the Adelaide Hills community.