Henke & Pillot was a chain of supermarkets headquartered in Houston, Texas.[1] The chain began in 1872.[2] During its final years of existence, it was a subsidiary of Kroger, which acquired Henke's in 1955. In 1966, Kroger announced the retirement of the Henke & Pillot name.
History
In 1872, Henry Henke, a grocer from New Orleans, Louisiana, visited Houston to try to establish a new chain. In 1882, Henke asked Camille G. Pillot to become the company bookkeeper; a few years later, Pillot became a full partner in the firm. In 1925, the chain had two stores, one at 302 Milam in what is now Downtown Houston, and the other in what is now Midtown Houston. In May 1955, The Kroger Company acquired Henke & Pillot.[1] Henke's logo soon was changed to look similar to the Kroger logo. In 1956, the chain operated 27 stores, with locations in Greater Houston (Houston, Galveston,