Stephanie Nelson | 

What Stores Does Kroger Own? It's More Than You Think

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Kroger operates over 2,750 grocery and multi-department stores under 19 different names. Whether you know it or not, chances are you have some kind of Kroger-owned store near you. And KCL’s Kroger deals can help you save money at any of the stores Kroger owns every week.

Most Kroger-owned stores have very similar sales in their weekly ads, with a few exceptions:

  • Harris Teeter runs totally unique promotions with zero crossover. Bookmark KCL’s Harris Teeter deals if you’re a regular Harris Teeter shopper.

  • QFC operates small supermarkets with largely unique sales that don’t overlap with the Kroger parent company.

  • Food 4 Less and FoodCo have more overlap with each other and less with other Kroger chains because both are owned by Food 4 Less.

Here’s the full details on all the stores Kroger owns:

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Current map of the stores Kroger owns:

U.S. map showing the grocery stores Kroger owns.

1. Baker’s Supermarkets

Baker’s is run under the Dillon’s division, so their sales and prices are most similar to Dillons and Gerbes.

  • Founded: 1927, bought by Kroger in 2001

  • Stores: 11

  • Location: Omaha, Nebraska

2. City Market

City Market was founded by the Prinster family and had a Prinster member as president for the first 77 years.

  • Founded: 1924, bought by Kroger in 1983

  • Stores: 34

  • Location: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming

3. Dillons Food Stores

Dillons also operates Baker’s and Gerbes, but those are run under their own names. Also, Dillons has their own private-label milk from a warehouse in Hutchison, Kansas.

  • Founded: 1913, bought by Kroger in 1983

  • Stores: 63

  • Location: Kansas

4. Food 4 Less

Food 4 Less is known as a “no frills” grocery store where shoppers bag their own groceries.

  • Founded: 1977, bought by Kroger in 1988

  • Stores: 101

  • Location: California, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio

5. Foods Co.

Foods Co. is a subsidiary of Food 4 Less. They operate under the name “Foods Co.” in some areas because they don’t have the rights to the name “Food 4 Less” everywhere.

  • Founded: 1977, bought by Kroger in 1998

  • Stores: 20

  • Location: Northern California

6. Fred Meyer

Fred Meyer was one of the first retailers in the U.S. to promote “one-stop shopping” by combining a grocery store with a drugstore, bank, apparel store, home improvement, garden, etc.

  • Founded: 1922, bought by Kroger in 1999

  • Stores: 130

  • Location: Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska

7. Fry’s Food and Drug

Fry’s also operates under the banner Fry’s Marketplace, which is a multi-department store. Also, when the original owners sold the grocery chain to Kroger, they used the money to purchase Fry’s Electronics, which is currently unrelated to the grocery store, other than a shared name.

  • Founded: 1954, bought by Kroger in 1999

  • Stores: 123

  • Location: Arizona

8. Gerbes Super Markets

Dillons bought Gerbes in 1966, but then Kroger bought Dillons in 1983.

  • Founded: 1933, bought by Kroger in 1983

  • Stores: 6

  • Location: Missouri

9. Harris Teeter

Harris Teeter is one of the few subsidiaries of Kroger that isn’t obviously branded by Kroger. Their website is completely different from all the others and requires a separate digital account. You can’t use Kroger gift cards at Harris Teeter.

  • Founded: 1936, bought by Kroger in 2013

  • Stores: 258

  • Location: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

10. JayC Food Store

As of 2018, JayC Food Store got included in the Kroger Louisville Division.

  • Founded: 1862, bought by Kroger in 1999

  • Stores: 64

  • Location: Southern Indiana

11. King Soopers Food Store

King Soopers was one of the first grocery stores to have a pharmacy. They were also an early adopter of a meat department. Dillions bought King Soopers in 1957, before Kroger bought Dillons.

  • Founded: 1924, bought by Kroger in 1983

  • Stores: 118

  • Location: Colorado and Wyoming

12. Kroger

Kroger is one of the top three largest supermarkets in the United States. Walmart is first, with 25.2% of the market, then Costco and Kroger come in next. Costco has 7.1% and Kroger has 5.6%. The Kroger workforce includes 465,000 employees.

  • Founded: 1883

  • Stores: 1,274

  • Location: Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

13. Mariano’s

Mariano’s is an upscale supermarket that sells all kinds of stuff. They offer fresh food like gelato, sushi, rotisserie chicken, a salad bar buffet, and more. It’s mostly in Chicago.

  • Founded: 2010, bought by Kroger in 2015

  • Stores: 44

  • Location: Illinois

14. Metro Market

Originally known as Roundy’s, Metro Market originally came up with the concept of Mariano’s as a more interactive experience in order to combat the “detached” way shoppers were approaching the supermarket.

  • Founded: 1872, bought by Kroger in 2015

  • Stores: 21

  • Location: Wisconsin

15. Pay Less Super Markets

  • Founded: 1947, bought by Kroger in 1999

  • Stores: 9

  • Location: Central Indiana

16. QFC

  • Founded: 1955, bought by Kroger in 1999

  • Stores: 59

  • Location: Washington and Oregon

17. Ralphs

After Kroger, Ralphs has more stores than other Kroger affiliates, even though it only operates in one state.

  • Founded: 1873, bought by Kroger in 1998

  • Stores: 465

  • Location: California

18. Ruler Foods

Ruler Foods was originally JayC’s discount store. But it’s now included under the main Kroger division. They primarily carry Kroger-brand items.

  • Founded: 1998, bought by Kroger in 2018

  • Stores: 50

  • Location: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, and Missouri

19. Smith’s Food and Drug

Smith’s has a unique sale called their Case Lot Sale in January, April, and September. This sale has products like peanut butter, baking supplies, and other pantry staples at stock-up prices.

  • Founded: 1911, bought by Kroger in 1999

  • Stores: 143

  • Location: Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming