Kroger was founded by Bernard Kroger in the year 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio and is US based largest supermarket. It is ranked on number 2 in general retailing and on eighteenth in terms of scale in US. Also it is third largest retailer in the world and employer in US.
Kroger was started by Bernard Barney Kroger withinvestment of his life savings of $372. First a grocery store wasopened at 66 Pearl Street in downtown Cincinnati. Kroger had simple dictum to offer best quality and maximum customer satisfaction and “To Never Sell Anything You Would Not Want Yourself. ” He was the one to introduce the concept of Self-Service shopping and making in house Bakery items, so as to offer his customer convenience of getting all things under one roof.
In 1930, Kroger became grocery chain to internally test and monitor the quality of foods being offered to customer and also the store which is surrounded by parking lot on all four sides. After this Kroger began entering new markets and experimenting with product range and services offered to ensure maximum satisfaction and earn a distinct position in Industry.
Kroger operates have various kinds of store formats and product range under its banner which have been mentioned hereunder:
Combination of Food and Drug Stores
Multi Department Stores
Natural and Organic Food Stores
Price Impact Stores
Market Place Stores
Jewelry Stores
Convenience Stores
Convenient Care Clinic
Former Chains
Convenience Stores that have Food and Drugs
Kroger apart from retailing various products is one of the biggest private manufacturinglabels as well. It has 37 plants in seventeen states making 40% of Kroger’s private label products. On the same lines of majority supermarket retailer, it uses three tiered private label marketing strategy. Initial one Accenture on nitty gritty items at most minimal conceivable value, another at standard with partners of driving national brands however at a superior esteem and third one is premium ranges which are natural in assembling. Kroger three tiers are namely Private Selection (Premium Brand), Banner Brands (Kroger, Ralphs and King Soopers) and Value Brands (Good quality at an affordable price).
Apart from this Kroger has presence in pharmacy, Distribution and Logistics, movie rental and Petroleum Industry as well. Kroger has 1948 pharmacies which are usually located inside its supermarket, it has been a profitable venture and has an extensive plan to open its pharmacy in various other leading supermarket and other stores. As of 2015 Kroger operated 1360 super market fuel centers, which it started in 1988 in its parking lot for the visiting customers. It’s Distribution and logisticsventure has Kroger Group Cooperative,Inc., Kroger Group, INC., Peyton’s, WESCO and Inter-American Products as its subsidiaries.
As onDecember 2015 Kroger had 2778supermarkets and multidepartmentstores , which it operated either directly or through its subsdiaries.It has presence in 34 stateswith varying store formats such as 786 convenience stores, 326 jewelry stores, 34 food processing and manufacturing facilities,1360 supermarket fuel centers and 2122 pharmacies. It is the second largest retailer, after Walmart by its revenue clocking$115.34 for fiscal year 2016.