Jewel-Osco

Jewel-Osco is a chain of supermarkets owned by Albertsons.

History
In 1899, Frank Vernon Skiff founded Jewel as a door-to-door coffee service. In 1902, Skiff partnered with Frank Ross, and renamed the company the Jewel Tea Company. The chain expanded throughout the mid-20th century. In 1932, Jewel acquired 72 self-service stores and four grocery stores, and renamed them Jewel Food Stores. In 1934, Jewel Food merged with Jewel Tea. After many years, Jewel started expanding. It acquired Osco Drug in 1961. Also that year, Jewel started Turn-Style, a discount chain. After 1983, many Jewels and Oscos were put together under one roof. That is when the name Jewel-Osco was formed. Until 2010, Jewel-Oscos stores were operated separately. In 1984, American Stores purchased Jewel-Osco. Some Alpha Beta stores were renamed Jewel Osco. Albertsons purchased American Stores in 1999. Albertsons was sold to SuperValu, and Osco Drug became CVS Pharmacy. Since 2013, Jewel-Osco is part of Albertsons again.