Smith’s Food & Drug was founded in 1911 by Lorenzo Smith, who opened a dry goods store in Brigham City, Utah. The company moved into larger quarters across the street, but it wasn’t until Lorenzo’s son, Dee, took over the business after serving in WWII, did the business really begin to expand.
The operates a chain of full-service grocery stores in Tennessee, the Southwest and Northwestern parts of the US. Currently, there are more than 132 locations. The company was acquired first by Fred Meyer, then by Kroger in 1999 for $8 billion. This made Kroger the largest supermarket chain in the US.
Since 2008, Smith’s Food & Drug has been opening Smith’s Marketplace stores, often by purchasing locations that have gone bankrupt and then remodeling the stores with upgraded fixtures.
Company headquarters remain in Salt Lake City, Utah.
