Ralphs
Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, California (Store #703-00127) | ||
Company type | Subsidiary | |
---|---|---|
Industry | Retail (Supermarket) | |
Founded | 1873 | in Los Angeles, California|
Founder | George Ralphs | |
Headquarters | 1100 W. Artesia Blvd. Compton, California , United States[1] | |
Number of locations | 184 stores (April 2024) | |
Area served | Southern California | |
Key people | Tom Schwilke (president)
John Sparkenbach (VP of Operations) Laura Peters (VP of Merchandising) | |
Products | Bakery, dairy, Parent Federated Department Stores (1968–1992) | Fred Meyer (1997–1998) Kroger (1998–present) |
Website | www |
Ralphs is an American supermarket
History
Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 in Los Angeles by George Albert Ralphs and his brother, Walter Benjamin Ralphs.[2] Ralphs teamed with S. A. Francis in 1873 to open the Ralphs & Francis store at 5th and Hill – an area which would become the Historic Core of the city in the early 20th century, but was then a mostly residential area with many single-family houses. In 1875, Ralphs’s brother Walter bought out Francis’s share, and the business became the Ralphs Bros. Grocers, specializing in produce. The business boomed. In 1876 they constructed a two-story building at the southwest corner of Sixth and Spring.[3]
In the 20th century, Ralphs became a grocery pioneer, offering self-service markets with checkout stands in distributed locations. The company employed notable architects in designing its stores, and the former
In 1988, Canada-based Campeau Corporation launched a $4.2 billion hostile takeover of Federated, Ralphs's parent. Ralphs would then be put up for sale, with American Stores (owner of rival chain Lucky) making an offer.
In 1992, Federated, now known as Macy's, Inc., sold Ralphs to a group of owners, led by Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, after filing for bankruptcy two years earlier in 1990.[6] In 1994, Ralphs was acquired by the Yucaipa Companies for $1.5 billion. Yucaipa owned ABC Markets, Alpha Beta, Boys Markets, and Cala Foods. Soon, all ABC Markets, Alpha Betas, and Boys Markets were rebranded as Ralphs. At the same time, Food 4 Less was merged with Ralphs. In 1997, Yucaipa sold Ralphs to Portland, Oregon based Fred Meyer, owner of several chains in the west. Soon, Ralphs Marketplace stores started opening in suburban areas; these stores are based on the Fred Meyer model but without apparel. At the same time, they also acquired the 57-store Hughes Family Markets chain. In October 1998, the parent company, Fred Meyer, merged with Kroger of Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1999, Ralphs purchased about 30
In 2005, Ralphs exited the Bakersfield market, closing 3 stores.[7]
Ralphs operated in Northern California until January 2006, when they announced that all but one Ralphs in northern California would close.[8] In August 2006, the one remaining Ralphs in northern California, in Grass Valley, was given a 60-day notice of closure, ending Ralphs' presence in northern California for the second time.[9] Also, in August 2006, Ralphs finalized plans to sell eleven (of thirteen remaining) Cala-Bell Stores to Harley DeLano, who previously ran the chain.
On July 20, 2007, Ralphs opened a new 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) store on 9th and Hope Street in the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles. This was the first full-run supermarket downtown in 50 years. In 1950, Ralphs closed a store at 7th Street and Figueroa Street.
In 2023, Ralphs President Tom Schwilke announced plans to open a new Ralphs store within the next two years, the first new store opening in over 10 years.
Today, Ralphs competes with Albertsons (including Vons) and Stater Bros. Its slogan is "Fresh for Everyone," also used by all other Kroger grocery store brands. [10] Ralphs is the current market share leader in Southern California.
2003–04 strike
Ralphs Grocery Company has contracts with the
On October 16, 2006, Ralphs agreed to pay $70 million to settle felony charges that it illegally rehired locked out employees using false names and Social Security numbers during the strike. Eligible UFCW members received $50 million of the settlement and the remainder was paid in fines to the federal government.[11][12]
In popular culture
The
In the movie Messiah of Evil, one of the main characters, Laura, follows a mysterious figure into a deserted Ralphs supermarket, where she is chased, attacked, and eaten by zombies.
In The Powerpuff Girls, there is a grocery store called "Malph's".
A parody of Ralphs packaging was used as the cover for the 1986 album Album by Public Image Ltd.
Ralphs supermarket line of generic brand products were featured prominently in the 1984 film Repo Man; almost all products featured were donated by the supermarket.[13][14] [15]
Ralphs was the primary sponsor for the #11 car of
A package of Ralphs green beans can be seen in a refrigerator in the closing moments of Season 5 Episode 11 of The Practice. This was a likely error by the prop department, since the show takes place in Boston.
In the podcast radio drama Welcome to Night Vale, the chain is occasionally mentioned in the context of a "hole in the vacant lot out back of the Ralphs." This is in spite of a lack of confirmation or evidence that the town of Night Vale is located in Southern California.
In the 1992 film Forever Young, when Mel Gibson's character wakes up in 1992 to discover he has been cryogenically frozen since 1939, he goes to a pay telephone to call a friend from his past, across the street from the pay phone is a Ralphs store. Later when trying to tell someone where his friend from the past lived Gibson's character says "There's a place called Ralphs there now."
Ralphs generic products were featured in the Suicidal Tendencies music video for ”Institutionalized”.
References
- ^ Contact us, The Kroger Company
- ^ "Person:Walter Ralphs (1) – Genealogy". www.werelate.org.
- ^ Masters, Nathan (December 11, 2012). "CityDig: The Birth of Ralphs Bros. Grocers Los Angeles Magazine". Lamag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles.
- ^ "Ralphs Ends Its Attempt to Give Giant Stores a Separate Identity". Los Angeles Times. February 5, 1988. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ "History of Ralphs Grocery Company – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- ^ Lazzareschi, Carla (February 4, 1992). "Ex-Creditors Acquire Ralphs Supermarkets". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- ^ "NEWS WATCH: KROGER TO CLOSE BAKERSFIELD RALPHS STORES...ALBERTSONS WAGE SUIT RULED CLASS ACTION...PUBLIX PLANS TO ROLL OUT HISPANIC STORE BRAND". Supermarket News. January 10, 2005.
- ^ "Local Ralphs not one of 16 set to close". The Union. February 1, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "Ralphs closes its doors in Grass Valley". The Union. September 28, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Kleckler, Abby (November 6, 2019). "Kroger Unveils 'Fresh for Everyone' Rebrand". Progressive Grocer. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ Green, Frank (October 17, 2006). "Ralphs to pay $70 million in settlement". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
- ^ Zimmerman, Martin (October 17, 2006). "Judge Approves Ralphs Plea Deal in Labor Case". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Linden, Sheri (April 14, 2013). "1984's 'Repo Man' possesses a healthy cynicism". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ Leiby, Richard (November 14, 2013). "Wal-Mart's new Price First brand recalls the starkly labeled groceries of 'Lost,' 'Repo Man'". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ McPheeters, Sam (April 16, 2013). "Repo Man: A Lattice of Coincidence". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved January 16, 2014.