The Oldest Grocery Store Chain In America Is Not What We Thought

Grocery stores have become a staple of American culture over the past century or so, with specialized markets becoming less common while supermarkets reign supreme. However, one grocery store chain is the oldest in the United States and is still in business today. In fact, it remains one of the most popular chains in the country. I am, of course, talking about Kroger, which first opened its doors in 1883.

While the original Kroger location in Cincinnati, Ohio, looked quite different from what the beloved American grocery store chain is today, its promise to bring all the best items together in one place has remained the same. As of the start of 2025, the store that was bought by Barney Kroger 140 years ago for $372 is worth over 40 billion dollars, despite the business's ongoing legal struggles from its attempted merger with Albertsons last year.

Now, while Kroger predates every other grocery store chain in America, it wasn't quite the beginning of grocery shopping as we know it. While it was the first to establish a one-stop-shop grocery store in the country, the self-service model we are used to today didn't arrive until decades after Kroger opened their doors. That innovation was, instead, made by Piggly Wiggly, a grocery chain founded in Memphis, Tennessee, back in 1916. The still-active chain was the first to give customers the power to shop for themselves, a privilege we often take for granted today.

As for Kroger, they adapted to this model over time, as well, but are better known for different areas of innovation. The original grocery store chain was the first to experiment with things like grocery delivery and electric scanners for items — the latter of which has become the norm across the country in the years since its creation in 1972.

Kroger is now best known for its massive financial success, being the largest grocery store in the country today. This success, in part, comes from the multitude of unique chains the Kroger corporation operates. While their attempted merger with Albertsons last year resulted in the loss of chains like Marianos and Carrs, The Kroger Company still operates popular chains like King Soopers, Food 4 Less, and, of course, Kroger.