These Familiar Grocery Chains Are Actually Owned By Kroger - Tasting Table

"Walk into a Ralphs supermarket in California or a King Soopers in Colorado, and you might get a feeling vaguely familiar to shopping at Kroger. The signs are different, the store layout isn't quite the same, and local products mingle with store-brand ones - but the shopping experience still has a Kroger-ish ambiance. There's a reason for that, and you might not like it. About 20 favorite "hometown" regional grocery brands across America are actually part of the same huge Kroger family."

"Some of the most recognizable Kroger-owned chains include Fry's in Arizona; Smith's in a smattering of Western states; Fred Meyer and QFC in thePacific Northwest; Ralphs and Food 4 Less across California; and Dillons in Kansas. Then there's the roughly 100 supermarkets in Wisconsin under the Pic' n Save and Metro Market banners. In practice, Kroger uses all those banners to "stay local" in very different regions, while still operating as one national business."

Kroger owns roughly 20 well-known regional supermarket banners and operates thousands of stores across 35 states and Washington, D.C. The company maintains local brand identities while running centralized sourcing, distribution, and private-label production. Shared infrastructure and services include in-store pharmacies, digital platforms, fulfillment centers, fuel and EV charging stations, and retail operations support. Recognizable chains under Kroger include Fry's, Smith's, Fred Meyer, QFC, Ralphs, Food 4 Less, Dillons, Pic' n Save, and Metro Market. Kroger attempted a major merger with Albertsons, but that deal was halted by a federal judge.

Read at Tasting Table