Ralphs is the largest chain of supermarkets owned by Kroger. It operates in southern California.
History[]
The Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 by George Ralphs (ten years before even Kroger started). The company employed many well-known architects to design its stores. In the 1980s, Ralphs started a supermarket/hybrid chain called The Giant. Later, Ralphs merged with Food 4 Less. In the mid-90s, Ralphs merged with many supermarkets, including Alpha Beta, The Boys, ABC Markets, and Viva. In 1997, Ralphs merged with Fred Meyer, and in 1998, Kroger acquired Fred Meyer. In 1999, Ralphs purchased about 30 Albertsons and Lucky stores in northern California, and incorporated them into their Cala Foods chain. However, Ralphs was not successful and all the stores closed in 2006. Today Ralphs competes with Albertsons (which includes Vons and Pavilions) and Stater Bros.
Store Concepts[]
- Ralphs - supermarket chain
- Ralphs Fresh Fare - supermarket chain
- Ralphs Marketplace - hypermarket chain
Former[]
- The Giant - supermarket/warehouse chain