| Fred Meyer, Inc. | |
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| Type | Hypermarket Grocery/Department store |
| Founded | 1922 (Portland, Oregon) |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon |
| Key people | Michael Ellis, president |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Food, clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, toys, lumber, garden supplies and housewares. In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need |
| Parent | Kroger |
| Website | www.fredmeyer.com |
Fred Meyer, Inc is an American company founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon by Fred G. Meyer. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Fred G Meyer (February 21 1886 &ndash September 2 1978 was a U The company was one of the pioneers of the retail supercenter or hypermarket format of store which combines a grocery supermarket and a department store. In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. It has locations throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean Prior to the company's merger with Kroger it traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FMY. Although the company is now a division of The Kroger Company, Fred Meyer and the western region of Kroger are still headquartered in Portland. The Kroger Co ( is an American Retail Supermarket chain and Parent company, founded by Bernard Henry Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati Fred Meyer is sometimes known as "Freddy’s", a nickname the company has used in its advertising and for its mascot, Fred Bear. [1][2] For a number of years the company has used the marketing jingle, What's on your list today? You'll find it at Fred Meyer! in print, radio and television advertising.
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History
Fred Meyer, originally of New York City, opened his first public market at the corner of Fifth and Yamhill in downtown Portland, OR in 1922. In 1928, Mr. Meyer opened the first self-service drug store. In 1931, he opened his first suburban one-stop shopping center in the Hollywood District of Portland, a neighborhood he deliberately chose through a shrewd and prescient application of market research: he would pay customers' overtime parking tickets that they incurred while shopping at his downtown store, just to obtain their home addresses. The Hollywood District (originally Hollyrood after the Scottish Holyrood) is a neighborhood of northeast Portland Oregon renamed for its historic 1920s era The store's innovations included a grocery store alongside a drug store plus general merchandise, off street parking, gasoline station, and—eventually—apparel. In the 1960s Fred Meyer entered the Seattle market by acquiring Seattle based Marketime Drugs. Fred Meyer also acquired a Spokane based grocery wholesaler called The Roundup Company. Roundup owned no stores in Spokane but owned Kalispell, Montana based B & B stores in Northwest Montana and Consumer Warehouse Foods in Soap Lake, WA. Kalispell is a city in and the County seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States. B & B was a chain of grocery stores founded in Kalispell Montana. About 1968 the first full fledged Fred Meyer in the Seattle area was opened in Lynnwood, WA. It was also the largest Fred Meyer for about a decade. In 1975, after several decades of growth in the Portland area, Fred Meyer purchased the Pacific Northwest-based Valu-Mart. valu-mart is a chain of Supermarkets based in Ontario, Canada. Valu-Mart had been renamed Leslies about a year or two before the sale to Fred Meyer. In 1975, Fred Meyer opened their first stores in Alaska as a result of acquiring Leslies/Valu-Mart. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Fred Meyer changed the Leslies/Valu Mart stores to the Fred Meyer banner at that time. As the Fred Meyer name became more well known in the Seattle area, the Marketime Drug chain became known as Fred Meyer-Marketime. In 1977, Marketime was renamed Fred Meyer. Also in the early to mid 1980's, the Northwest Montana B&B stores also took on the Fred Meyer name.
On September 2, 1978, Mr. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Meyer died at the age of 92. Mr. Meyer played a huge role in the day to day operation of his company until his death.
In 1982, the company was purchased by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in what was one of KKR's first major leveraged buyouts. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (commonly referred to as KKR) is a New York City -based Private equity firm that focuses primarily on late-stage Leveraged
Acquisitions
In 1985 Fred Meyer acquired Grand Central of Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The Grand Central stores in Utah and Idaho were converted to Fred Meyer stores, although most did not receive full supermarket departments until the mid 1990s. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America.
In 1997, Fred Meyer Inc. acquired Smith's Food and Drug of Salt Lake City, though both companies maintained separate operations. Smith's Food and Drug, commonly known as Smith's is a leading chain of Supermarkets in the Intermountain and Southwest regions of the United In 1998, Fred Meyer acquired Ralphs Grocery Company of Los Angeles, California, and QFC of Seattle, Washington. Ralphs Grocery Company is a major Supermarket chain in the Southern California area Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Quality Food Centers (QFC is a Supermarket chain based in Bellevue Washington, with over 75 stores in the Puget Sound region of Washington Both acquisitions also maintained separate operations with Fred Meyer, Inc. as the holding company. In that fast string of mergers, Fred Meyer quickly became the nation's fifth largest food and drug store operator.
Merger with Kroger
In May of 1999 Fred Meyer, Inc. merged with Kroger of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Kroger Co ( is an American Retail Supermarket chain and Parent company, founded by Bernard Henry Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads In 2000, the Arizona Fred Meyer stores, all of which were formerly Smitty's stores that Fred Meyer acquired in the Smith's merger, were rebranded as Fry's Marketplace. Fry's Food & Drug Stores Inc is a chain of Supermarkets that has a major presence in the state of Arizona. In 2004, Smith's Food and Drug assumed the operations of the Utah Fred Meyer stores, which were rebranded as Smith's Marketplace. Smith's Food and Drug, commonly known as Smith's is a leading chain of Supermarkets in the Intermountain and Southwest regions of the United Also, slowly but surely, since the acquisition of the Fred Meyer Company, Kroger has been unifying standards across the company. Kroger is adapting many of the Fred Meyer store standards, and implementing their own standards to the Fred Meyer stores. Kroger and Fred Meyer stores are slowly becoming more similar in management, and merchandising standards.
Locations
Fred Meyer currently operates 128 stores divided into seven merchandising zones as well as an online special order site for their postal prescription service, online photo ordering, online music/movie/video game sales through partner The Store 24/7, and an Alaska bush fulfillment center allowing those in remote areas of the state to shop Fred Meyer. An e-tailer is a retailer that primarily uses the Internet as a medium for customers to shop for the goods or services provided Much like other roadless or remote parts of Australia and Africa the state of Alaska in the United States has area commonly referred to as " the Bush " The zones represent geographical areas of the Northwest, including: West Portland (Zone 1), SW Washington/East Portland (Zone 2), The Remaining Outskirts of Oregon (Outer Ring) (Zone 3), North Puget Sound (Zone 4), South Puget Sound (Zone 5), Idaho/Eastern Washington (Zone 6), and Alaska (Zone 7). Each "zone" is made up of about twenty stores and has its own administrative team of regional directors.
Store design
Fred Meyer stores are well known for their huge floor space. To compete, other supermarket chains operating in the northwest (like Safeway) often build stores that are much larger than their standard store format. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good Safeway Inc ( a Fortune 500 company is North America's third largest Supermarket chain with as of December 29 2007 1743 stores located throughout the
A typical store is divided into four major departments:
- An apparel (ALE) and leisure division with shoe (some full service; most self-serve), women's and men's ready-to-wear, intimate, cosmetics, accessories, and young men's/junior's department called "Elements". Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather A shoe is an item of Footwear. Shoes may vary from a simple Flip-flop to a complex Boot. Lingerie is a term for fashionable and alluring women's Undergarments It derives from the French word linge, "washables" — as in faire le linge In most stores, ALE has anywhere from three to six checkstands of its own; these checkstands (and their cashiers) belong to a section known as SG2 (an abbreviation of "Soft Goods").
- A grocery (FOD/GRO) which includes a Nutrition Center, Health and Beauty Aids department and Pet Center as well as full-service meat, seafood, deli, produce, and bakery areas. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision to cells and Organisms of the materials necessary (in the form of food to support A bakery (also called baker's or bakehouse) is an establishment which produces or/and sells Bread, pies pastries Cakes Biscuits FOD also manages the Bottle Return found in most Fred Meyer parking lots.
- A home division (HOM) featuring toy, stationery, sports and auto, home improvement, garden, furniture, and bed & bath areas and a special area for seasonal merchandise. Fuel centers (SPG) are part of the HOM department. Many locations have checkstands in the HOM department; these checkstands belong to a section known as HG2 (an abbreviation of "Home & Garden"), some locations provide a HOM U-Scan as well. Self checkout machines are automated alternatives to the traditional Cashier -staffed Checkout at retailers
- Additionally, most Fred Meyer stores possess an Operations (OPS) department, which is responsible for the main bank of checkstands or 'Central Check Cashiers' (CCK); the Customer Service Desk (CSD), also known as the Customer Information Desk, or CID, where services such as Western Union, Fish & Game licenses, bus passes, tobacco sales, and merchandise returns/exchanges are offered; U-Scan (a customer self checkout option) and the parking lot. The Western Union Company ( is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. Self checkout machines are automated alternatives to the traditional Cashier -staffed Checkout at retailers In some stores these areas are a section (known as GR2 - an abbreviation of "Grocery") of the grocery (FOD/GRO) department. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. Playland, a child-care center provided free of charge for shoppers at some locations is also a division of the Operations department.
Home Electronics (PEM) departments offer a high tech selection including computers, televisions, etc. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic as well as a photo station and a music market for CDs, movies, and video games. Photographic processing is the Industrial process by which conventional Photographic film is treated after Photographic exposure in order to produce the Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Most stores also include an outlet of Fred Meyer's jewellery chain, Fred Meyer Jewelers, and a pharmacy. Fred Meyer Jewelers is a national chain of jewelers It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fred Meyer Inc. Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον 'pharmakon' = drug is the Health profession that links the Health sciences with the chemical sciences
In some stores' parking lots an FM Fuel Center is added, managed by the Home Department . A filling station, fueling station, gas station, service station, petrol station, or gasbar, Retail Outlet
Most Fred Meyer stores lease peripheral retail space to other businesses. For example, an average store in Oregon and Washington would have a Hollywood Video store and a Washington Mutual Bank branch, and a locksmith in the store's parking lot. Movie Gallery Inc, headquartered in Dothan, Alabama, is the second largest movie and game rental company in the United States, behind Blockbuster Washington Mutual Inc (abbreviated to WaMu) ( is a savings bank holding company and the former owner of Washington Mutual Savings Bank, which was the Locksmithing began as the science and art of making and defeating locks Many stores also house a Starbucks Coffee outlet, (some of which are) operated by Fred Meyer under contract. Starbucks Corporation ( is an international Coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle Washington. Other locations include a Starbucks operated outlet in an outside tenancy, while Fred Meyer operates a Tully's Coffee, or Kivu Coffee bar inside as an extension of the Multi-Service-Deli. Tully's Coffee is a specialty Coffee retailer and wholesaler based in Seattle Washington.
In Alaska, all Fred Meyer locations contain Alaska USA Federal Credit Union branches, except the Palmer location. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Many other locations throughout the chain lease space to a Washington Mutual Bank branch.
Department structure
The store is managed by a store director (and one or two assistant directors if they are a management training store). Each department is run by a manager, an assistant manager, and often a third or a fourth manager, depending upon the size of the department. In addition to the management staff, persons-in-charge (PIC) are non-management supervisors who assume management duties and responsibilities for the duration of a shift, but are otherwise level with co-workers. In the major divisions (ALE, HOM, FOD) Sectionheads or Department managers are responsible for a given section of the department.
Employees
Fred Meyer employs anywhere from 50-300 employees at any given time. During mid-day, usually you will find around 100 employees working at one time within an average Fred Meyer location. Employee benefits vary, depending on the position an individual holds, how many hours per month/week that employee works, and whether or not that store/department of a store belongs to a union. All employees receive Employee Rewards cards that double as Employee Discount cards. Discounts range from 0% - 20% depending on which department goods are purchased from. A typical Fred Meyer store has job opportunities available on a weekly basis, depending on employees retiring, getting promoted, quitting, or being terminated. Many job opportunities also become available on whether a store becomes busier, due to nearby businesses or the addition of new departments or fuel stations. Recently, the Fred Meyer store chain switched to an online employment system, powered by Unicru, which can be found at http://www.fredmeyer.com.
Alternate store formats
Not all Fred Meyer stores conform to the conventional hypermarket format that the majority of stores do. While still department-style stores, Fred Meyer has two additional formats for stores too small to fit the vast space requirements of those in more eclectic neighborhoods.
Fred Meyer Marketplace
Fred Meyer Marketplace is a comparatively compact Fred Meyer, centered on a full service grocery section, with many of the other departments missing or considerably smaller than a full size Fred Meyer store. These are usually older locations in more central locations in Portland, with limited, often unique parking arrangements (like the Burlingame location's multistory parking garage, or the rooftop parking at the Hawthorne location). Most Marketplace stores in the Seattle area were once standard supermarkets that have been acquired from other grocers.
Some marketplace locations are early examples of Fred Meyer in its typical mall format, being the anchor store in a small Fred Meyer shopping center. A shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings that contain Retail units with interconnecting Walkways enabling visitors In Retail an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant, is one of the larger stores in a Shopping mall, usually Locations from this early era are typified by having the lawn and garden department in a different building immediately across the street or parking lot. Parking lot (called a car park in Australia and the UK) is a cleared area that is more or less level and is intended for Parking vehicles
Fred Meyer Northwest Best
Fred Meyer Northwest Best is the company's "new concept" store in upscale Northwest Portland near PGE Park. PGE Park (formerly Civic Stadium, a name still used by locals originally Multnomah Stadium) is a Stadium located in Portland Oregon, It was converted from the Fred Meyer Stadium Marketplace in 2004 to compete against newly arrived retailers such as the Pearl District Whole Foods Market and Northwest Portland Trader Joe's. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Pearl District is an area of former Warehouses light industrial and Railroad Classification yards in Portland Oregon Whole Foods Market ( is an Austin, Texas -based foods Grocer. Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty Grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia California. Fred Meyer also has Northwest Best stores in Gig Harbor, Washington and Redmond, Washington. Gig Harbor is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management's April 1 2008 estimate the city has a population
Private label brands
Fred Meyer employs Kroger's manufacturing by adding its own private label brands alongside national brand products. Aside from products labeled Kroger or Fred Meyer, one might also find the following brands at a Fred Meyer store: Kivu, Everyday Living (and the more upscale eL²), F•M•V ("For Maximum Value"), Moto Tech, Private Selection, HD Designs, Splash Spa, and Naturally Preferred. The Kroger Co ( is an American Retail Supermarket chain and Parent company, founded by Bernard Henry Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati Former brands associated with Fred Meyer were My-T-Fine, Presidents Choice, F. President's Choice (or "PC" is the private label brand of Loblaw Companies Limited, the largest food retailer in Canada. G. Meyer First Choice, Personal Choice, and Perfect Choice.
Rewards Program
On May 4, 2004[3], Fred Meyer introduced Fred Meyer Rewards, a program that rewards (pays) customers for shopping in their stores. To participate, a customer completes a registration form and receives 3 purple cards (a credit card-sized card and two keytags). When the program was introduced, participating customers received one point for every $5 they spent in a single transaction (transactions with totals under $5 did not receive a point). If a customer earned 100 points (by spending at least $500) during a 13-week rewards cycle, they would receive about $5 in rebate vouchers. The rewards mailer also typically included percentage discount coupons on specific items.
On April 29, 2007[4], the company revised the program somewhat, simultaneously with the launch of their Fred Meyer Rewards MasterCard. Effective on that date (which was the beginning of a 13-week cycle), customers receive a point for each dollar spent, but the value of each point decreased proportionally, and a customer must earn 500 points in a 13-week rewards cycle to receive a rebate voucher. Customers who use the MasterCard version of Rewards earn double points (2 points per dollar spent).
While using Fred Meyer Rewards does not provide discounts in the store (and sale prices are not contingent upon using Rewards), card holders receive a 3¢ per gallon discount on all FM Fuel Center fuel purchases. Rewards MasterCard holders receive a 15¢ per gallon discount on all fuel. Each time a customer accumulates $100 in eligible purchases, they receive a 10¢ per gallon discount (up to 20 gallons discounted) on their next fuel purchase.
See also
External links
Fred Meyer Jewelers is a national chain of jewelers It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fred Meyer Inc. The Kroger Co ( is an American Retail Supermarket chain and Parent company, founded by Bernard Henry Kroger in 1883 in CincinnatiDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic