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UFCW Unions & Employers Benefit Funds
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Unions & Employers Benefit Funds was founded in 1963 as a multiemployer defined-benefit plan. Administered by...
UFCW Unions & Employers Benefit Funds
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Unions & Employers Benefit Funds was founded in 1963 as a multiemployer defined-benefit plan. Administered by Wilson-McShane Corporation from Downers Grove, Illinois, its primary contributing employer and designated named fiduciary is The Kroger Co. The plan has reciprocal agreements with participating locals including UFCW 881 and UFCW 655. The fund allocates capital across a traditional institutional portfolio with a specific tilt toward income-generating private assets. Its asset allocation spans debt instruments, public equity, natural resources, and a notable real estate sleeve that includes a Heitman Global Real Estate Securities portfolio alongside directly held commercial properties—a mixed-use asset in Dayton, Ohio and an industrial property in Chicago. The strategy touches buyout, distressed debt, and special situations through fund commitments. Team size and precise deployment figures are not publicly disclosed. The plan does not maintain a standalone investment office structure, with oversight and administrative functions consolidated under Wilson-McShane. A critical operational milestone: the Midwest Pension Fund received Special Financial Assistance (SFA) from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), stabilizing benefits for participants after facing potential insolvency. The plan also operates through a defined contribution arm, the UFCW Pension Plan for Salaried Staff, and adjacent health and insurance funds. The plan's structural differentiator is its status as a PBGC bailout recipient, making the federal government an indirect stakeholder in the fund's recovery trajectory. Its governance binds a Fortune 500 grocer as fiduciary, creating a unique alignment between a private-sector employer's balance sheet vitality and the retirement security of its unionized workers. The associated UFCW Charity Foundation extends the entity's reach beyond pension administration into grantmaking.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1963
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Downers Grove
Corporate office
1431 Opus Place Suite 350, Downers Grove, IL 60515, United States
Principals
Wilson-McShane Corporation
Plan Administrator
The Kroger Co.
Named Fiduciary & Key Contributing Employer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who administers the UFCW Unions & Employers Benefit Funds?
Wilson-McShane Corporation serves as third-party administrator. The Kroger Co. acts as named fiduciary with investment authority over public equity assets.
What asset classes does the fund allocate to?
Allocations include public equity at 18 percent, debt instruments at 10 percent, private equity at 1.59 percent, and real estate holdings including direct properties and securities.
Does the fund receive external assistance?
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation provides Special Financial Assistance to the Midwest Pension Fund component.
What is the fund's relationship to Kroger?
Kroger is the primary contributing employer and designated named fiduciary for the Consolidated Pension Plan.
Does the fund maintain a related foundation?
The UFCW Charity Foundation, Inc. supports organizations addressing hunger and blood cancer plus scholarships for members.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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