Kroger Supermarkets And The Largest Geographic Span

Description of Companies Kroger supermarkets were started in 1883 by Barney Kroger. Mr. Kroger invested his life savings of $372 to open a grocery store in downtown Cincinnati. He started his business with the motto: “Be particular. Never sell anything you would not want yourself.” Kroger now has over 2,600 stores in 34 states with annual sales of over 108.5 billion. This makes Kroger one of the world 's largest retailers. Kroger supermarkets were the first to establish their own bakeries “in store.” Kroger operates 37 food processing facilities. Kroger has become large enough to develop their own private label items that account for 26% of their total sales today. Kroger has merged with several companies expanding its range across the United States. They have merged with companies such as Dillon Companies Inc, Fred Meyer Inc, and Harris Teeter. The merger in 1999 with Fred Meyer was huge for Kroger simply because Kroger became the market with the largest geographic span. In 1972, Kroger became the first grocery retailer to use the electronic scanner. They also use QueVision which is a faster checkout program that allows less time at checkout. Unlike Publix, they utilize the self checkout systems which allow customers to checkout at their convenience. The technology that has been used for many years at Kroger helps them to strategically set up their stores to maximize sales.. (History of Kroger, 2015.) Publix supermarkets were started September 6, 1930.