Fred Meyer
A Northwestern U.S. chain of hypermarket stores combining groceries with general merchandise and services.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
Fred Meyer is an American retail brand operating large-format combination stores in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Its stores bring together a full grocery supermarket and a broad general-merchandise assortment, typically including apparel, footwear, home furnishings, appliances, electronics, toys, sporting goods, garden products, pharmacy services, jewelry, and fuel. This one-stop-shopping model was central to the company's identity from its earliest years and helped distinguish Fred Meyer from retailers that specialized either in food or in department-store merchandise. The business was founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1922 by Fred G. Meyer. The first store combined several food departments and other merchandise under one roof. Meyer emphasized convenience and sought to give customers multiple reasons to visit the same location. In 1931, the company opened a suburban shopping center in Portland's Hollywood District, an important development in its use of location research, automobile access, and off-street parking. Over time, the stores added pharmacies, gasoline stations, clothing, household goods, and other departments, developing into an early form of the modern hypermarket. Fred Meyer expanded beyond Oregon during the 1960s and 1970s. It entered the Seattle market through the acquisition of Marketime Drugs, acquired the Roundup grocery-wholesale business, and expanded into Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. The company also acquired Oregon Valu-Mart stores and related properties, converting many locations to the Fred Meyer banner. Marketime stores were eventually renamed Fred Meyer in 1977. By the late 1960s, the company operated stores in four states, and by the late 1980s it had nearly 100 stores across six states. The company changed ownership several times as it grew. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired Fred Meyer in 1981 in one of the firm's early leveraged buyouts. Fred Meyer later acquired Grand Central in 1984, Smith's Food and Drug and Ralphs in 1997, and QFC in the same period. These transactions made Fred Meyer a major food-and-drug retail holding company, although the acquired chains generally continued to operate under their own banners. The company also experimented with expansion into California, but its Chico store closed and planned Northern California locations did not develop into a lasting market. Kroger acquired Fred Meyer in 1998. Before that transaction, Fred Meyer, Inc. was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol FMY. Following the acquisition, the Fred Meyer stores retained their name and regional identity while becoming part of Kroger's larger operating group. Some other Fred Meyer-owned or affiliated operations were subsequently converted to banners such as Smith's Marketplace and Fry's Marketplace. Kroger also gradually aligned operating standards, merchandising practices, and management systems across its divisions while preserving local brands. Today, Fred Meyer remains a Kroger subsidiary focused on the Northwestern United States. Its differentiation rests on breadth, convenience, grocery-and-general-merchandise integration, pharmacy and fuel services, and a regional store identity. The company has also adjusted its assortment in response to changing retail and public-policy conditions. In 2010 it announced the removal of plastic bags from its Portland stores, ahead of the city's later single-use-plastic-bag restrictions. In 2018 it removed firearms and ammunition from its merchandise assortment. Fred Meyer is also the parent company of Fred Meyer Jewelers.
History
Fred Meyer began in Portland, Oregon, in 1922, when Fred G. Meyer opened a store designed to combine multiple food and merchandise departments under one roof. Rather than operating as a narrowly specialized grocer, Meyer aimed to create a destination where shoppers could complete many errands during one visit. The concept developed further in 1931 with a suburban shopping center in Portland's Hollywood District. Its location reflected deliberate market research and an emphasis on automobile access, parking, and planned urban growth. During the early decades, Fred Meyer expanded the one-stop format by adding departments and services such as a drugstore, household products, clothing, gasoline, and parking. The company also invested in distribution infrastructure. A large warehouse built in Portland in 1951 later conflicted with the construction of the Banfield Expressway and was partly condemned and demolished; the business subsequently moved its warehouse operation to Swan Island. Expansion accelerated in the 1960s. Fred Meyer entered the Seattle area by acquiring Marketime Drugs and broadened its wholesale and retail presence through the Roundup Company and related stores. By March 1968, the company operated 48 stores in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. In the 1970s it acquired Oregon Valu-Mart stores and converted them to the Fred Meyer banner. The company entered Alaska in 1975 through the acquisition and conversion of Leslie's and Valu-Mart locations. Marketime stores adopted the Fred Meyer name in 1977, and the founder remained involved in the business until his death in 1978. The company continued to grow through acquisitions and new store development. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts purchased Fred Meyer in 1981. In 1984, Fred Meyer acquired Grand Central of Salt Lake City, converting stores in Utah and Idaho to its banner. The chain later explored California, opening a store in Chico and acquiring or planning sites in Northern California, but the expansion was not sustained. The Chico store closed, and other planned locations were sold or ultimately developed by other retailers. Fred Meyer pursued a major food-and-drug consolidation strategy in the late 1990s. It acquired Smith's Food and Drug, Ralphs, and QFC in 1997. These businesses generally maintained their own operating identities, with Fred Meyer serving as the parent holding company. The transactions made the company one of the largest food-and-drug operators in the United States. Some Montana stores were converted to Smith's locations, and Fred Meyer-associated stores in other states were later rebranded as Fry's Marketplace or Smith's Marketplace. In 1998, The Kroger Co. acquired Fred Meyer. Fred Meyer ceased to operate as an independent public company, but its stores retained the regional Fred Meyer name. Kroger progressively harmonized administrative, merchandising, and operating practices across its divisions while maintaining multiple regional banners. Fred Meyer continued to specialize in large stores offering both groceries and general merchandise, with additional services including pharmacies, fuel, and jewelry. In the 2010s and afterward, the brand made selected assortment and policy changes. In 2010 it eliminated plastic shopping bags at its Portland stores before a broader municipal ban took effect. In 2018 it removed firearms and ammunition from its product mix after briefly tightening age restrictions. The brand remains active as a Kroger subsidiary serving Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, and Fred Meyer is also the parent company of Fred Meyer Jewelers.
- 2004
Utah stores become Smith's Marketplace
[1]Smith's Food and Drug assumes operation of the Utah Fred Meyer stores, which are rebranded as Smith's Marketplace.
- 2000
Arizona stores become Fry's Marketplace
[1]Arizona stores associated with Fred Meyer through the Smith's transaction are rebranded as Fry's Marketplace.
- 1998
Kroger acquisition
[1]The Kroger Co. acquires Fred Meyer, and the Fred Meyer stores continue operating under their established regional banner.
- 1997
Major food-and-drug acquisitions
[1]Fred Meyer acquires Smith's Food and Drug, Ralphs, and QFC, while the acquired chains generally continue under their own names.
- 1984
Grand Central acquisition
[1]Fred Meyer acquires Grand Central of Salt Lake City and converts stores in Utah and Idaho to the Fred Meyer banner.
- 1981
Acquisition by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
[1]Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquires Fred Meyer in one of the investment firm's early major leveraged buyouts.
- 1978
Death of founder Fred G. Meyer
[1]Fred G. Meyer dies at age 92 after remaining active in the company's daily operations for much of his life.
- 1977
Marketime stores adopt the Fred Meyer name
[1]The Marketime drugstore chain is renamed Fred Meyer.
- 1975
Alaska entry
[1]The company enters Alaska through the acquisition and conversion of Leslie's and Valu-Mart stores.
- 1973
Valu-Mart acquisition
[1]Fred Meyer acquires five Oregon stores from the Valu-Mart discount chain.
Products and positioning
Regional one-stop shopping centered on the combination of supermarket groceries, general merchandise, pharmacy, and other household services in a single large-format store.
Food retail
Grocery
The grocery operation is the core food-retail component of the Fred Meyer one-stop format. Stores offer conventional supermarket categories, including fresh produce, meat, seafood, dairy, bakery items, deli products, packaged foods, beverages, and household consumables. The grocery department operates alongside general merchandise rather than as a separate specialist supermarket.
Department-discount retail
General merchandise
Fred Meyer stores carry a broad nonfood assortment designed to cover routine household and personal shopping needs. Depending on the location, departments include apparel, shoes, home decor, furniture, appliances, electronics, toys, sporting goods, garden products, and health and beauty merchandise. This breadth is a defining part of the chain's hypermarket positioning.
Pharmacy retail
Pharmacy
Pharmacy services complement the grocery and general-merchandise departments. The pharmacy component reflects Fred Meyer's long-standing strategy of combining multiple everyday retail and health-related errands in one location.
Automotive retail
Fuel
Many Fred Meyer locations include gasoline or fuel facilities, extending the one-stop-shopping model beyond indoor retail and supporting the chain's automobile-oriented suburban format.
Jewelry retail
Fred Meyer Jewelers
Fred Meyer is the parent company of Fred Meyer Jewelers, a jewelry retail business associated with the broader Fred Meyer organization. Jewelry has also been part of the merchandise range offered through the company's larger stores.
Controversies
2026
EEOC sues Fred Meyer alleging pregnancy discrimination at Vancouver store
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit on Sept. 30 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Fred Meyer Stores, a Portland-based Kroger subsidiary, alleging the retailer violated federal law by failing to accommodate pregnant employees at a Vancouver location in 2023 and then retaliating against them, including through termination.
2026
Maria Torres reaches undisclosed settlement with Fred Meyer over 2023 slip-and-fall lawsuit
Maria Torres, 71, slipped on water from a leaky roof at Fred Meyer's Hawthorne store in Portland in 2023, suffering a concussion. She sued the grocery chain for $36 million, comprising $6 million in compensatory damages and about $27.5 million in punitive damages. Fred Meyer denied liability, arguing the leak had only just started and employees had no chance to fix it before her fall. The two sides reached an undisclosed settlement during the trial, as reported on October 14, 2026.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Portland plastic-bag removal
Portland, Oregon
Fred Meyer ended the distribution of plastic shopping bags at its ten Portland stores. The policy preceded Portland's later citywide restriction and positioned the chain as an early large local retailer to make the change.
Outcome. The policy was implemented before the city's broader plastic-bag ban.
Brand decisions
2018
Discontinue firearms and ammunitionStrategyBackground
Fred Meyer had recently limited firearm and ammunition sales to customers aged 21 and older.
Action taken
The company removed guns and ammunition from its product offering.
Aftermath
Firearms and ammunition ceased to be part of the Fred Meyer assortment.
2010
Remove plastic shopping bags in PortlandStrategyBackground
Local concern and impending municipal restrictions were increasing pressure on retailers to reduce single-use plastic bags.
Action taken
Fred Meyer stopped offering plastic bags at its ten Portland stores.
Aftermath
The chain became one of the largest Portland-area retailers to adopt the policy before the city's later ban.
1998
Acquisition by KrogerM&ABackground
Fred Meyer had become a large regional food-and-drug operator with multiple retail banners.
Action taken
The Kroger Co. acquired Fred Meyer.
Aftermath
Fred Meyer became a Kroger subsidiary, and its stores retained the Fred Meyer name while adopting selected group-wide operating and merchandising practices.
1997
Food-and-drug retail consolidationM&ABackground
Fred Meyer sought to increase its scale in food and drug retail through a series of acquisitions.
Action taken
The company acquired Smith's Food and Drug, Ralphs, and QFC.
Aftermath
The acquisitions made Fred Meyer a major food-and-drug holding company, while the acquired banners generally retained separate operations.
1981
Leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis RobertsM&ABackground
Fred Meyer pursued a change in ownership after a period of regional growth and expansion.
Action taken
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired the company.
Aftermath
Fred Meyer continued expanding and making acquisitions under private ownership before eventually being acquired by Kroger.
1975
Convert Leslie's and Valu-Mart stores in AlaskaM&ABackground
Fred Meyer expanded its regional footprint through the acquisition of Leslie's and Valu-Mart locations.
Action taken
The acquired Alaska stores were converted to the Fred Meyer banner.
Aftermath
The transaction established Fred Meyer stores in Alaska and extended the company's one-stop format beyond the lower Northwest.
Recent events
Maria Torres reaches undisclosed settlement with Fred Meyer over 2023 slip-and-fall lawsuit[3]
Reported:
Maria Torres, 71, who slipped on water from a leaky roof at Fred Meyer's Hawthorne store in Portland in 2023, suffering a concussion, sued the grocery chain for $36 million ($6 million compensatory and about $27.5 million punitive). Fred Meyer denied liability, arguing the leak had only just started and employees had no chance to fix it before her fall. The two sides reached an undisclosed settlement during the trial, as reported on October 14, 2026.
EEOC sues Fred Meyer alleging pregnancy discrimination at Vancouver store[2]
Reported:
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit on Sept. 30 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Fred Meyer Stores, a Portland-based Kroger subsidiary, alleging the retailer violated federal law by failing to accommodate pregnant employees at a Vancouver location in 2023 and then retaliating against them, including through termination.
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