Ralphs

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 Foods 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. However, there Ralphs was not sucessful and all the stores closed in 2006.

Store Concepts

 * Ralphs - supermarket
 * Ralphs Fresh Fare - supermarket
 * Ralphs Marketplace - hypermarket