Retro regional grocery chain draws new fans with collectible mascot merch

Merchandise from a regional grocery store chain with locations across the Midwest and South has become a hot commodity. Nicola Miller, of Suffolk, England, will detour as much as 50 miles to visit a Piggly Wiggly when she’s in America, hoping to add another T-shirt featuring the iconic, cheerful Mr. Pig to her collection, Food & Drink reported. Miller first encountered the mascot in the 1978 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” which features the retro pig face in the film’s final scene. She told Food & Drink that Piggly Wiggly stores and the company’s logo “spark joy” and nostalgia for her. Miller is not alone. Piggly Wiggly was first founded in 1916, and now has 500 locations across the US. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect The Piggly Wiggly brand “resonates across all ages and