Type: Public
On the web: http://www.kroger.com
Employees: 338,000
Employee growth: 1.2%

Kroger is the nation's #1 pure grocery chain, but it still must watch out for falling prices; Wal-Mart has overtaken Kroger as the largest seller of groceries in the US. While Kroger has diversified through acquisitions, adding jewelry and general merchandise to its mix, food stores still account for about 85% of sales. The company operates about 3,600 stores, including some 2,460 supermarkets and multidepartment stores, under two dozen banners, in about 30 states. It also runs 785 convenience stores under names such as Quik Stop and Kwik Shop. Kroger's Fred Meyer Stores subsidiary (acquired in 1999) operates about 125 supercenters, which offer groceries, general merchandise, and jewelry, in the western US.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending January, 2011:
Sales: $82,189.0M
One year growth: 7.1%
Net income: $1,116.0M
Income growth: 1494.3%

Officers:
Chairman and CEO: David B. Dillon
President, COO, and Director: W. Rodney McMullen
SVP and CFO: J. Michael Schlotman

Competitors:
Costco Wholesale
SUPERVALU
Wal-Mart

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