Grocery

Vons Corporate Office

Vons is a supermarket chain that operates supermarkets under the Vons and Pavilion banners.

Vona was founded by Charles Von der Ahe as Von’s Groceteria in 1906 in Los Angeles, California.

By 1928 Vons had grown to 87 stores.

Vons has gone through several acquisitions and is owned today by Safeway Inc., a leading U.S. grocery chain.

Safeway acquired an ownership stake in Vons in 1988 as part of the sale of most of its supermarkets in southern California and southern Nevada. Safeway acquired full control of the company in 1997 and has since then operated Vons as a subsidiary.

In a 2018 survey, Vons beat out popular grocery chains, like Whole Foods, and was named best place to shop by vegans and vegetarians, according to Businessweek.

The supermarket chain has 193 stores in California and another 20 locations in Nevada.

While some Vons locations are closing, new stores are still being opened, such as this one in Camarillo, California.

A store employee who was assaulted three times in three months was fired after he asked about workers’ compensation to see a therapist in 2023. He has filed a lawsuit against Vons.

Vons maintains a corporate office in Pleasanton, California.

Vons

Vons is a supermarket chain that operates supermarkets under the Vons and Pavilion banners.

Vona was founded by Charles Von der Ahe as Von’s Groceteria in 1906 in Los Angeles, California.

History

By 1928 Vons had grown to 87 stores.

Vons has gone through several acquisitions and is owned today by Safeway Inc., a leading U.S. grocery chain.

In a 2018 survey, Vons beat out popular grocery chains, like Whole Foods, and was named best place to shop by vegans and vegetarians, according to Businessweek.

The supermarket chain has 193 stores in California and another 20 locations in Nevada.

While some Vons locations are closing, new stores are still being opened, such as this one in Camarillo, California.

A store employee who was assaulted three times in three months was fired after he asked about workers’ compensation to see a therapist in 2023. He has filed a lawsuit against Vons.

Vons maintains a corporate office in Pleasanton, California.

Kraft Foods Corporate Office

In 2012 Kraft Foods was spun-off as an independent company from Mondelez International, separating the North American grocery company from the global snack giant.

Kraft Foods Group is focused mainly on grocery products for the North American market.

Some of Kraft’s most well-known brands are Maxwell House, Capri Sun, Kool-Aid, Cheez Whiz, Velveeta, JELL-O, Stove-Top, Oscar Meyer, Lunchables, Kraft, and Cracker Barrel.

The company is traded publicly on the NASDAQ under the symbol KRFT, is a member of the S&P 500, is #151 on the Fortune 500, is #302 on the FT Global, has 22,500 employees, and had $18.07 billion in revenue in 2013.

Kraft Foods

In 2012 Kraft Foods was spun-off as an independent company from Mondelez International, separating the North American grocery company from the global snack giant.

Kraft Foods Group is focused mainly on grocery products for the North American market.

Some of Kraft’s most well-known brands are Maxwell House, Capri Sun, Kool-Aid, Cheez Whiz, Velveeta, JELL-O, Stove-Top, Oscar Meyer, Lunchables, Kraft, and Cracker Barrel.

History

Weis Markets Corporate Office

Weis Markets was founded as Weis Pure Foods in 1912 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania by brothers Harry and Sigmund Weis.

The Weis brothers opened a second store in 1915 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This store became strategically important to the chain as it grew as the regional anchor for the Pennsylvania market.

By 1933 the chain had grown to 115 stores, all in central Pennsylvania.

Starting in the 1960’s Weis Markets, as it was then known, began to expand into neighboring states Maryland and New York, and later to Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Today Weis Markets operates 165 stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Maryland. The stores sell groceries, dairy products, frozen foods, meats, seafood, fresh produce, pharmacy, deli, bakery products, food and wine.

Weis Markets is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMK, is #770 on the Fortune 1000, has 18,000 employees, and had $2.69 billion in revenue in 2013.

Weis Markets

Weis Markets was founded as Weis Pure Foods in 1912 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania by brothers Harry and Sigmund Weis.

The Weis brothers opened a second store in 1915 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This store became strategically important to the chain as it grew as the regional anchor for the Pennsylvania market.

By 1933 the chain had grown to 115 stores, all in central Pennsylvania.

History

Starting in the 1960’s Weis Markets, as it was then known, began to expand into neighboring states Maryland and New York, and later to Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Weis Markets is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMK, is #770 on the Fortune 1000, has 18,000 employees, and had $2.69 billion in revenue in 2013.

Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers Corporate Office

Margaret and Philip Isely founded Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets in 1955.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage operates natural and organic grocery stores in the United States. The stores offer natural and organic products including bulk food and private label products, dry, frozen, and canned groceries, prepared foods, baked goods, bread, and beverages.

Natural Grocers stores also offer natural ingredient personal care products and pet care products.

Natural Grocers has 93 stores in 13 states and is run by the children of the founders.

The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol NGVC, has 1,648 employees, and had $455.40 million in revenue in 2013.

Headquarters for Natural Grocers is located in Lakewood, Colorado.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Margaret and Philip Isely founded Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets in 1955.

Natural Grocers stores also offer natural ingredient personal care products and pet care products.

History

Natural Grocers has 93 stores in 13 states and is run by the children of the founders.

The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol NGVC, has 1,648 employees, and had $455.40 million in revenue in 2013.

Headquarters for Natural Grocers is located in Lakewood, Colorado.

Trader Joe’s Corporate Office

Trader Joe’s was founded by Joe Coulombe in 1958 as a convenience store chain called Pronto Market. The stores were similar to 7-Eleven stores. Coulombe felt that direct competition with 7-Eleven would be ruinous, so he changed the concept of his stores.

After a vacation in the Carribean, Coulombe decided that a “Tiki” theme would be pleasing. He noticed that more and more people were returning from their vacations with food items they enjoyed. Coulombe decided that he would experiment by ordering food and wines that were not easily found in regular supermarkets. This is still true today and one of the reasons why Trader Joe’s is such as success.

The first “Trader Joe’s” opened in 1967 on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, California. The first stores featured fresh meat from butchers who leased space in the stores, freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh cut cheese, and sandwich shops.

Theo Albrecht of Aldi Nord bought Trader Joe’s in 1979 and began to expand the company beyond California.

Between 1990 and 2001 the chain quintupled store numbers and multiplied its profit by ten. Trader Joe’s sales for 2015 were estimated to be as much as $13 billion.

Trader Joe’s supermarkets have about 4,000 products, compared to about 50,000 in an average supermarket. 80% of these products are private label brands. Trader Joe’s stocks gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian foods, unusual frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine and beer, and staples like bread, eggs, cereal, and produce.

Trader Joe’s has an excellent reputation as a fair employer, paying above union wages. It was also part of MSN Money’s Customer Service Hall of Fame in 2009 and 2010.

The company is the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw Wines, often referred to as Two Buck Chuck because of its original $1.99 price tag.

Beginning in 2008, the company began phasing out products from China due to customer concerns about purity and quality. Trader Joe’s sells many items under its own private labels, at a significant discount to brand-name equivalents, and requires its brand-name suppliers not to publicize this business relationship.

Post pandemic shopping habits have changed and Trader Joe’s might suffer because of it.

In September 2020, Whole Foods took the #1 spot over Trader Joe’s as the best workplace for graduates according to Forbes.

Today Trader Joe’s has 474 stores in 43 states, with the heaviest concentration in California. The company is constantly expanding, with many stores carrying as much as 50,000 items. Headquarters remain in Monrovia, California.

Trader Joe's

History

Theo Albrecht of Aldi Nord bought Trader Joe’s in 1979 and began to expand the company beyond California.

Between 1990 and 2001 the chain quintupled store numbers and multiplied its profit by ten. Trader Joe’s sales for 2015 were estimated to be as much as $13 billion.

Trader Joe’s has an excellent reputation as a fair employer, paying above union wages. It was also part of MSN Money’s Customer Service Hall of Fame in 2009 and 2010.

The company is the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw Wines, often referred to as Two Buck Chuck because of its original $1.99 price tag.

Post pandemic shopping habits have changed and Trader Joe’s might suffer because of it.

In September 2020, Whole Foods took the #1 spot over Trader Joe’s as the best workplace for graduates according to Forbes.