Clue 1 · The Basics
A U.S. consumer staples company · large-cap · listed on the NYSE · headquartered in Ohio.
Clue 2 · The Numbers
Annual revenue of roughly $150 billion makes it one of the largest retailers in America, yet margins stay razor-thin at under 2% — welcome to the grocery business.
Clue 3 · The History
Founded in 1883 in Cincinnati by a young clerk who borrowed $372.50 to open his first store, it eventually grew into a nationwide supermarket empire spanning thousands of locations.
Clue 4 · The Secret
It quietly operates one of America's largest retail pharmacy networks and runs a booming fuel center business at many of its stores — groceries are just the beginning.
Clue 5 · The Lore
Its loyalty card program tracks the buying habits of tens of millions of shoppers, and its private-label brand Simple Truth alone rakes in over $3 billion a year.
Clue 6 · The Giveaway
It owns Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, and King Soopers — and its proposed merger with Albertsons sent regulators scrambling to protect your neighborhood supermarket.