The Kroger Co. is North America’s largest grocery chain, operating about 3,619 stores located throughout the Midwestern, Southern, South western and Western United States. It is also the second largest general retailer in the United States, next to Wal-Mart.
History
Bernard. H. Kroger is the founder of The Kroger Co. and started the company in the year 1883. The business was initially started as a grocery store, which was later named as Great Western Tea Company. This was the first one of its kind in the United States. After his father incurred loss in the family dry goods store that he decided to try his luck in retailing. By 1885, he opened three branches of the tea company in Cincinnati. In 1902, the company’s name was changed to The Kroger Grocery and Baking Company. By that time, he had 40 stores and one factory in Cincinnati. Two years later, in 1904, he was also the proud owner of Nagel Meat Markets and Packing House and introduced meat departments in his grocery stores.
By 1912, Kroger expanded his company to Hamilton, Toledo, Dayton and Columbus in Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Detroit, Michigan; and Springfield, Illinois. In 1929, Kroger had around 5,575 stores around the United States. The company changed its name to The Kroger Co. in 1946. It opened pharmacy stores in 1960. During its reign in the retail industry, the company acquired Dillon Companies, Inc. and Fred Meyer, Inc. The annual revenue of the company crossed $50 billion in 2000.
Statistics
Kroger’s Headquarters: 1014 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Kroger’s Ownership: Public company
Kroger’s Number of stores: 784 convenience stores, 2,461 grocery retail stores, 954 supermarket fuel centers, 375 jewelry stores and 1,969 pharmacies.
Kroger’s Annual revenue: $ 76.7 Billion
Kroger’s No. of employees: 334,000
Kroger’s Geography: Hamilton, Dayton, Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; St Louis, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Detroit, Michigan; Springfield, Illinois; Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, California, Minnesota and New Jersey.
Kroger’s Demography: Value shoppers, organic and green shoppers.
Special services: Insurance services, phone services, gasoline stations, pharmacy, specialty grocery, personal finance, little clinic..
Banners
Supermarkets such as King Soopers, Ralphs, City Market, Smith’s, Fry’s, Dillons, QFC, Baker’s, Pay Less, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Highlander, Gerbes, Scott’s, Kroger fresh fare.
They have discount warehouse stores such as Food 4 less and Foods Co. and multi-department stores such as Fred Meyer.
Market place stores such as Fry’s Market Place, Kroger Market Place, Dillons Market Place and Smith’s Market Place.
Convenience stores such as TurkeyHill, KwikShop, Loaf n Jug, QuikStop, Tomthumb and Smith’s Express.
Jewelry stores Fred Meyer, Littman, Barclay’s and Fox’s Jewelers.
Other services provided include Kroger personal finance, The Little Clinic and iWireless.
Brands
Private Selection
Private Selection Organics
Naturally preferred
Kroger Brands
Active Lifestyle
Comforts
Value Brand
Mirra
Fresh Selections
Important Links
Kroger’s Corporate Homepage
Online shopping N/A
Kroger’s Circular and specials
Kroger’s Jobs and careers
Kroger’s Store locations
I have noticed that over the past two or so years some Kroger brand frozen vegetables and Kroger brand , and Kroger pearscanned fruit have undergone a decrease in quality but not in price; on the contrary, the prices have risen. The deterioration in quality is not ascribable to any one lot, but to the same products over time. Those that I remember the best are frozen green beans – they tend to be stringy and sometimes a bit mature – and frozen corn – it is a bit too mature, too much of the sugars having been turned into starch. The canned pears are tasteless and a bit harder than other brands I’ve bought. The most recent can of Kroger brandpears were not even from U.S.A., but imported from China. VERY disappointing!!
On the plus side, Kroger’s Private Selection cheeses, especially its sharp cheddar is much better than Kroger’s regular extra sharp cheddar, which is not tangy or crumbly at all ,the way a sharp cheddar should be. Probably the regular extra ship cheddar is not aged enough.
For over 14 years, I’ve been shopping at the Safeway (now owned by Kroger) on Continental in Green Valley, AZ. One of the products I ALWAYS purchased was Foster Farms chunk smoked turkey. Now since Kroger took over, it is no longer available. BRING IT BACK! I don’t want to buy what is in the deli. I want my Foster Farms smoked turkey back.
In the last 90 days i have been to stores in Montgomery,Conroe,Willis and The Woodlands in Texas.None of them had Kroger Corn Flakes,nor could tell why. Do you no longer market them
I am a regular shopper at the Ralph’s grocery store on Rosecrans and Nimitz in San Diego, CA. For the past 2 years, the deli section carried a wonderful 9″ chicken pot pie. I am told they no longer order them and the correct procedure is writing a plea and begging you to reinstate the chicken pot pies, PLEASE.
I went into the Great Southern Kroger before work yesterday to return a jar of coffee. I didn’t have my receipt so all I got was a very hard time at the customer service desk. I waited for fifteen minutes or longer just so a rude female employee spent all that time trying to look up my transaction. I still received no refund but they just seemed to waste my time. This shows me extremely poor customer satisfaction and service. I have filed a complaint with the B.B.B.
When did the Kroger in Springfield, Illinois leave town?
You say you want to please the customer, but most of the time the product is not on the shelf. I keep hearing that the store doesn’t have enough help. And the manager won’t let the employees work over to make sure the items are out on the shelfs. I shop at the Stoneridge Gahanna store in Gahanna Ohio. Can you do something to change this? Please let me know.
Just a quick comment on the redo of your store in Goodyear, Az I have been a long time shopper of Kroger but this redo has lead me to rethink my shopping preferences.
You took all the house hold goods and accessories(which were great because you could not find them anywhere else) out, all the furniture , patio and outdoor accessories, and put in clothing and shoes and other wearable items. REALLY! WOW now you are just another Wal-Mart YUCK!
Come on what kind of marketing is this anyway to be just like everyone else, that is what was so nice about the store before you ruined it! GEE THANKS