Does Kroger Own Ralph? (all you must know)
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Most retailers in the US acquire other smaller supermarket chains to expand their influence and market share.
One of those retailers is Kroger, which has established itself as the largest supermarket retailer in the United States. You might be wondering, among all its subsidiaries, is Ralphs one of them? Here’s everything you need to know!
Will Kroger own Ralph in 2022?
Ralphs will become a division of supermarket chain Kroger in 2022. It is Kroger’s largest subsidiary and is part of the merger with Fred Meyer. Fred Meyer acquired Ralphs in 1997 as part of its expansion plans. As a result, Kroger became owner a year after acquiring its parent company, Fred Meyer, in 1998.
Read on for more information on 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 mergers, Kroger did not acquire Ralphs outright. When Kroger made the acquisition in 1998, Ralphs was already part of Fred Meyer.
Ralph has also acquired brands such as Food 4 Less; as such, Kroger owns those retail stores as well.
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 Kroger subsidiary, Ralphs has several benefits for the entire Kroger family, such as:
Ralph location
As of March 2022, there were 189 Ralph locations in the U.S., with the majority located in California.
Additionally, Ralph has merged with stores like Food 4 Less.
Because of Ralph’s dominance in California, Kroger has increased the number of stores.
Although Kroger recently closed some Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores over pay raises, it still has the majority of the supermarket segment thanks to stores like Ralphs.
Also, since Ralphs is primarily located in California, it has a great reputation in popular culture.
For example, Universal Hollywood has a Ralphs grocery store in the Beverly Hills area.
ralphs income
While Kroger’s total company sales in 2021 will be $137.9 billion, some of that will come from Ralphs.
For example, in 2021, Ralphs’ total product sales revenue is $120 million.
Retailers acquire other businesses based on their annual revenue and total sales.
What other stores does Kroger own?
In addition to Ralphs, Kroger owns several other stores, including:
- Harris Tate
- king spoon
- Fred Meyer
- round
- Baker’s
- QFC
- less food 4
- Dillion
- city market
- home cook
- subway market
- Smith’s
Thanks to all these stores, Kroger has operations in 35 US states. As such, the public company earns revenue from the sales and operations of all its subsidiaries.
In total, Kroger has about 2,800 grocery retail stores operated under the Kroger family in various states in the United States, making it the largest supermarket chain in the United States.
Can you return Ralphs items to the Kroger store?
If you need to return a defective or wrong item you purchased at Ralphs, you can return it to the nearest Kroger store.
Since the retail store is part of the Kroger supermarket chain, the company does accept returns as long as they comply with the supermarket’s policies.
For your convenience, you can use Kroger’s Store Locator to find your nearest store.
Make sure you put it in the original packaging and bring the original receipt with you when you return it.
The Kroger Store will refund you using the same payment method you used for your initial purchase.
According to the return policy, all products should be returned within 30 days of purchase. After this period, Kroger reserves the right to refuse returns.
You need to know that some items have restrictions during the return process. For example, you can only return an infant formula product if you have the original receipt.
Returning alcohol and tobacco products will depend on local state laws.
Also, if you return women’s, infant and children’s items, Kroger will only exchange them for food packs. Therefore, you cannot get a refund for these products.
You can also view limited actual products on the website. This will provide more information about your purchase and whether you are eligible for a refund.
Can you use Kroger gift cards at Ralphs?
If you have a Kroger gift card, you can use it at stores like Ralphs as it is part of the Kroger family of companies.
However, you can only use them for in-store purchases, not online transactions.
Also, you can check with a store employee or manager if gift cards are available.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on whether Kroger owns Meijer, whether Kroger owns Food Lion, and whether Kroger owns Frys.
in conclusion
Ralphs is a division of the supermarket chain Kroger. It is Kroger’s largest subsidiary and is part of the merger with Fred Meyer. Fred Meyer acquired Ralphs in 1997 as part of its expansion plans.
As a result, Kroger became owner a year later, after acquiring its parent company, Fred Meyer, in 1998. During the acquisition, Ralphs also owned other supermarket chains, such as Food 4 Less, which increased the number of stores owned by the Kroger family.
