Most retailers in the U.S. acquire other smaller supermarket chains to expand their presence and market share.
Kroger is one of these retailers that has built itself to become the largest supermarket retailer in the U.S. You might be wondering, among all its subsidiaries, is Ralphs one of them? Here’s all you need to know!
Does Kroger Own Ralphs In [currentyear]?
Ralphs is a division of supermarket chain Kroger in [currentyear]. It’s the largest subsidiary of Kroger and was acquired as part of the merger with Fred Meyer. Fred Meyer had bought Ralphs in 1997 as part of its expansion plan. Therefore, Kroger became the owner a year later after acquiring its parent company Fred Meyer in 1998.
Read on for more information about how Kroger became the owner of Ralphs and the deal between the two brands!
What’s the Connection Between Kroger and Ralphs?
Unlike most acquisitions and merges, Kroger didn’t directly buy out Ralphs. Ralphs was already part of Fred Meyer when Kroger made the acquisition in 1998.
Ralph had also acquired brands such as Food 4 Less; therefore, Kroger also owns these retail stores.
After this merger, Kroger became the largest supermarket chain because Ralph had several stores across the country, especially in Southern California.
Why Did Kroger Buy Ralphs?
As a subsidiary of Kroger, Ralphs has some benefits to the overall Kroger family, such as the following:
Ralphs Locations
As of March [currentyear], there were 189 Ralph locations in the United States, with most of them located in California.
Additionally, Ralph had also merged with stores such as Food 4 Less.
Due to Ralph’s dominant presence in California, Kroger increased the number of stores.
Although Kroger recently closed some Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores due to issues of extra pay, it still holds a majority share in the supermarket sector thanks to stores like Ralphs.
Additionally, since Ralphs is primarily located in California, it has made a name for itself in popular culture.
For instance, Universal Hollywood has a Ralphs grocery store, located in the Beverly Hills area.
Ralphs’s Revenue
While Kroger made total company sales worth $137.9 billion in 2021, part of that was earned from Ralphs.
For instance, in 2021, Ralphs made a total revenue of $120 million from the sale of products.
Retailers acquire other businesses based on their annual revenue and overall sales.
Which Other Stores Does Kroger Own?
On top of Ralphs, Kroger also owns several other stores, including the following:
- Harris Teeter
- King Scoopers
- Fred Meyer
- Roundy’s
- Baker’s
- QFC
- Food 4 Less
- Dillion Companies
- City Market
- Home Chef
- Metro Market
- Smith’s
Because of all these stores, Kroger has operations in 35 states across the U.S. Therefore, the publicly-traded company earns revenue from sales and operations from all the subsidiaries.
In total, Kroger has about 2,800 grocery retail stores operating under the Kroger family in different states in the U.S., making it the biggest supermarket chain in the country.
Can You Return Ralphs’ Items to Kroger Stores?
If you need to return a faulty or wrong item that you bought at Ralphs, you can return it to your nearest Kroger store.
Since the retail store is part of the Kroger supermarket chain, the company does accept returns as long as it’s within the supermarket’s policy.
To make things easier, you can use Kroger’s Store Locator to find the store closest to your location.
Ensure that you have it in the original packaging and carry the original receipt when returning an item.
Kroger stores will refund you using the same payment method you used when making the initial purchase.
According to the return policy, all products should be returned within 30 days from the day of purchase. After this period has elapsed, Kroger has the right to deny returns.
You need to know that some items have restrictions during the return process. For instance, you can return baby formula products only if you have the original receipt.
Returning alcohol and tobacco products will depend on the local state laws.
In addition, if you return Women, Infants, and Children items, Kroger will only exchange them for food packages. Therefore, you can’t get a refund for these products.
You can also check the website for the actual products that have restrictions. This will provide more information about the products you bought and whether you are eligible for a refund.
Can You Use a Kroger Gift Card at Ralphs?
If you have a Kroger gift card, you can use it at stores such as Ralphs because it’s part of the Kroger family of companies.
However, you can only use them for in-store purchases and not online transactions.
In addition, you can also confirm with the store employees or managers to confirm whether you can use the gift card.
To know more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Kroger owns Meijer, if Kroger owns Food Lion, and if Kroger owns Fry’s.
Conclusion
Ralphs is a division of the supermarket chain, Kroger. It’s the largest subsidiary of Kroger and was acquired as part of the merger with Fred Meyer. Fred Meyer had bought Ralphs in 1997 as part of its expansion plan.
Therefore, Kroger became the owner a year later after acquiring its parent company Fred Meyer in 1998. During the acquisition, Ralphs also had other supermarket chains under its brand, such as Food 4 Less, which increased the number of stores under the Kroger family.
