About The Fred Meyer Co.
First and foremost, Fred G. Meyer was a retailer with a great idea: One-Stop Shopping. But he was more than that. He was also a philosopher, semanticist and teacher who the Wall Street Journal described as "the last of the great American entrepreneurs."
Mr. Meyer’s ideas still appeal to Customers (always a proper noun to Mr. Meyer) because his ideas still save people time and money. With food, clothes, home products, prescriptions and more under one roof, you can get more shopping done in one stop than at any other store.
How One-Stop Shopping began
Fred G. Meyer came to Portland, Oregon in 1908 when he was 22 years old. Drawing on his experience working for his family’s grocery business, Fred Meyer opened Java Coffee Company. As he watched and listened to his Customers, he began planning a completely new kind of store.
In 1922, the first Fred Meyer store opened in Portland at the corner of Fifth and Yamhill streets. Mr. Meyer’s vision was to give the Customer more reasons to shop in his store than in any other. Before he opened his new self-selection store, Customers went to separate shops for meat, produce, cheese and other goods. Mr. Meyer placed these all under one roof and put an expert in charge of each area – something we still strive to do today.
Responding to change
More important than self-service was Mr. Meyer’s ability to see that his Customers were changing due to the automobile. As the car became a centerpiece of American life, Fred Meyer responded by adding suburban stores and free parking. By the 1940s, general merchandise and apparel had joined the original food and drug selection, setting the stage for the Fred Meyer stores we know today – stores that average 150,000 square feet and carry more than 225,000 items.
Mr. Meyer’s ideas continue to work because we listen to our Customers and strive to provide them what they want at low prices. The company has grown steadily over the last nine decades, acquiring several smaller retail companies and developing Fred Meyer Jewelers into the third largest fine jeweler in the country.
In 1999, Fred Meyer was purchased by the Kroger Company, creating the largest grocery chain in the nation. The merger has allowed Fred Meyer to give Customers even better prices while retaining its distinctive One-Stop Shopping format.
Commitment to Customers
While our stores continue to change with the times, one thing stays the same – our commitment to Customers.
Mr. Meyer was fond of saying, “Take care of the Customer; everything else will take care of itself.” By following Mr. Meyer’s ideas for success, thousands of Fred Meyer Associates have helped build a business that continues to thrive. With your help, we’ll keep growing and serving Customers for a long time to come.