Ernie's

What Ernie's does

Ernie's Shopping Cart Specialties is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of shopping cart corrals and supplier of new shopping carts, founded in 1952 and headquartered in Bates City, Missouri. The company is operated by owner Ernie Cruwell and self-describes as a leading manufacturer in the shopping cart corral niche, claiming thousands of satisfied customers accumulated across its 70+ year operating history. Its buyer base consists of retail businesses, including grocery stores and general merchandise retailers that need parking-lot cart corrals and replacement shopping carts.

The product portfolio comprises six catalog items: the single-wide Model 900 corral ($805), the double-wide Model 1000 ($725), the double-wide with divider Model 1050, the back-to-back double-wide Model 1075, the triple-wide Model 2050, and the Versacart 6250-B-T express shopping cart with child seat and lower tray. All corrals are manufactured using Allied Flow Coat Galvanized Tubing marketed as providing years of rust-free service, and the company also offers custom-built corrals to buyer specifications. Standard catalog units ship completely assembled and unfold for immediate use at the destination; optional custom digitally printed full-color signs are available at additional cost over standard silk-screened signs.

Ernie's commercializes exclusively through direct-to-consumer channels via a Woocommerce-based e-commerce website with no third-party distributors, resellers, or partnership channels documented. Pricing is per-unit with no disclosed subscription, enterprise, or service-contract layer. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company has no documented external funding, parent organization, M&A activity, acquisitions, or third-party alliances in the available data.

Name

Ernie's

Legal name

Ernie's Shopping Cart Specialties

Website

https://erniesshoppingcarts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ernie's Shopping Cart Specialties is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of shopping cart corrals and supplier of new shopping carts, founded in 1952 and serving US retail businesses through direct e-commerce sales and custom build-to-specification manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bates City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Shopping Cart Corral Sales: Manufactures and sells shopping cart corrals in various models (single wide, double wide, triple wide, back-to-back configurations). Products ship assembled and unfold ready to use.
2. New Shopping Cart Sales: Sells new shopping carts to retailers and businesses. Products include Versacart models with child seats and lower trays.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Ernie's manufactures shopping cart corrals in multiple configurations (single wide, double wide, back-to-back, and triple wide with dividers) and sells new shopping carts to retail businesses. All corrals are built using Allied Flow Coat Galvanized Tubing for rust-free service and ship completely assembled, ready to unfold and use. Custom-built corrals are also produced to customer specifications.

Product overview

Ernie's Shopping Cart Specialties is a 70-year-old company that manufactures shopping cart corrals and sells new shopping carts. The product portfolio consists of six core corral models: Model 900 (single wide), Model 1000 (double wide, $725), Model 1050 (double wide with divider), Model 1075 (back-to-back double wide with dividers), and Model 2050 (triple wide with dividers), plus the Versacart 6250-B-T express cart with child seat. The company also offers custom-built corrals to customer specifications. All corrals are manufactured using Allied Flow Coat Galvanized Tubing for rust-free service and ship completely assembled.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Model 900 Shopping Cart Corral Single wide shopping cart corral measuring 30 inches wide inside and 144 inches long when in use, folding for shipping. Made with American-made Allied Flow Coat galvanized tubing for rust-free service; includes a white 18" x 59" silk-screened sign with black high gloss enamel ink. Intended for retail store parking lots.
• Model 1000 Double Wide Shopping Cart Corrals Double wide shopping cart corral measuring 60 inches wide and 12 feet long, folding to 2 inches wide and 17 feet long for shipping. Manufactured using Allied Flow Coat Galvanized Tubing for rust-free service; weight 135 lbs; includes 18" x 59" silk-screened sign. Designed for retail store parking lots.
• Model 1050 Double Wide Shopping Cart Corrals with Divider Double wide shopping cart corral with divider feature for enhanced cart organization and segregation within a single corral unit. Built for retail parking lot use.
• Model 1075 Back-to-Back Double Wide Shopping Cart Corrals with Dividers Back-to-back double wide shopping cart corral with internal divider partitions, designed for placing two corrals back-to-back to maximize parking lot cart storage capacity while organizing cart flow.
• Model 2050 Tripple Wide Shopping Cart Corrals with Dividers Triple wide shopping cart corral with internal dividers designed to accommodate three cart widths within a single corral unit, maximizing parking lot storage capacity for retail stores.
• Versacart 6250-B-T Express shopping cart with child seat and lower tray, intended for retail store in-store use. Categorized under the Cart Corrals section on the website's product listing.
• Custom-Built Shopping Cart Corrals Made-to-order shopping cart corrals manufactured to the customer's specifications, beyond the standard Model 900/1000/1050/1075/2050 lineup. Built using the same Allied Flow Coat Galvanized Tubing for rust-free service.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Wanzl: Global manufacturer of shopping carts, basket trolleys, and retail merchandising/cart corral systems. Most direct comparable in product scope and customer base (grocery and general merchandise retailers worldwide).
• R.W. Rogers Company: Specialty manufacturer of shopping cart corrals, cart retrieval services, and store fixtures for grocery and retail. Direct head-to-head competitor in cart corral products.
• Rehrig Pacific: Manufacturer of carts, containers, and reusable logistics solutions for retail, grocery, and supply chain customers. Comparable in serving retail customer parking-lot and in-store material handling needs.
• Unarco Industries: Shopping cart and material handling cart manufacturer serving major U.S. retailers. Overlaps directly with Ernie's on new shopping cart sales to retail customers.
• Carts Unlimited: U.S. supplier of new and used shopping carts, replacement parts, and cart accessories to retail and grocery operators. Comparable customer base and product category.
• Versacart: Shopping cart brand (including the Versacart 6250 line carried by Ernie's) used by grocery and retail stores. Direct overlap in the new shopping cart product category.
• Technibilt (Cari-All): North American shopping cart and metal retail fixture manufacturer serving grocery, big-box, and convenience retailers. Directly comparable product mix of carts and store fixtures.
• United Steel & Cart: Manufacturer of steel shopping carts, platform trucks, and material handling carts. Comparable in metal-cart fabrication for retail and industrial buyers.

Emerging players

• Seville Classics: Retail and commercial cart/fixture maker (e.g., rolling carts, utility carts). Partial overlap in metal cart products sold through DTC channels to retail and commercial buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Bemis Manufacturing Company: Large diversified plastics and metal products manufacturer serving retail fixtures and commercial markets. Broader portfolio but overlapping customer base of retail and grocery buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ernie's