Quick Facts
Overview
The Kroger Co. is America's largest supermarket chain by revenue, operating nearly 2,800 grocery stores under two dozen banners across 35 US states. Founded in 1883 by Bernard Kroger as the Great Western Tea Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company was a pioneer in multiple retail innovations: it was one of the first grocers to establish an in-store bakery (1901), the first to routinely monitor product quality in its own food laboratories, and one of the first to surround stores with parking lots.
Kroger grew through aggressive expansion and strategic acquisitions. The 1983 merger with Dillon Companies brought Dillons, King Soopers, Fry's, and City Market into the fold. The transformative 1999 acquisition of Fred Meyer made Kroger the nation's largest retail grocer, adding Fred Meyer, Ralphs, QFC, and Smith's. In 2014, Kroger acquired Harris Teeter, and in 2018 it purchased meal kit company Home Chef for $200 million. A proposed $24.6 billion merger with Albertsons was blocked by a federal judge in December 2024.
Today, Kroger operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price-impact warehouse stores. The company is also a major player in private-label brands, with its Simple Truth organic line (launched 2012) and Private Selection premium line among the top-selling store brands in the US. In fiscal year 2024 (ending February 1, 2025), Kroger generated $147.1 billion in revenue with approximately 409,000 full- and part-time employees.
Stock Listings
| Exchange | Ticker | Currency | ISIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) | KR | USD | US5010441013 |
Kroger is a component of the S&P 500 index. The company has paid an uninterrupted dividend since its founding.
Major Shareholders
Kroger is widely held by institutional investors, who collectively own approximately 76% of outstanding shares. Notably, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is the third-largest shareholder.
| Shareholder | Ownership | Type | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
 Vanguard Group | 12.0% | Asset Manager |  USA |
 BlackRock | 9.3% | Asset Manager | USA |
| Berkshire Hathaway | 7.9% | Conglomerate | USA |
| Wellington Management | 5.3% | Asset Manager | USA |
 State Street Corporation | 5.1% | Asset Manager | USA |
 Geode Capital Management | 2.6% | Asset Manager | USA |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors | 1.9% | Asset Manager | USA |
| GQG Partners | 1.9% | Asset Manager | USA |
 Fidelity Management & Research | 1.6% | Asset Manager | USA |
 Norges Bank Investment Mgmt | 1.1% | Sovereign Wealth Fund |  Norway |
Source: TIKR / SEC 13F filings, 2025. Retail investors hold approximately 12% of shares.
Store Banners
Kroger operates supermarkets under nearly two dozen banners. Many continue to use their pre-acquisition names:
Private Label Brands
Kroger's store brands account for over $30 billion in annual sales, with more than 13,000 products:
Ownership Structure
Kroger is a widely held public company with no controlling shareholder. The "one-share, one-vote" structure gives all common shareholders equal voting rights. Berkshire Hathaway's stake represents a notable endorsement from Warren Buffett.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want to know who owns your everyday brands?
The Scan Owner app lets you scan any product barcode or search by brand name — and instantly see who owns it, where the company is from, and who the shareholders are. Available for iPhone and Android, with over 2 million barcodes and 300,000 brands in our database — and growing every day.
We practice what we preach: Scan Owner collects no personal data. No tracking, no profiles, no data resale. Powered by European AI and built in Denmark.
Sources
- Kroger — Our History (accessed 10 March 2026)
- Kroger — Annual Reports / Investor Relations (accessed 10 March 2026)
- SEC — Kroger 10-K (FY 2024) (accessed 10 March 2026)
- TIKR — Who Owns Kroger: Top Shareholders (accessed 10 March 2026)
- Wikipedia — Kroger (accessed 10 March 2026)
- Britannica Money — Kroger Co. (accessed 10 March 2026)
- Fintel — KR Institutional Ownership (accessed 10 March 2026)
- Stock Analysis — Kroger Revenue (accessed 10 March 2026)