NAIC 446110

Drug Stores

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

81companies1783–1993founding years81still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1994
TechnologyE-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Yucaipa Cos.
Active
Yucaipa Cos.
The North West Company, Inc.
Active · founded 1783 · Canada
The North West Company, Inc., is the leading seller of food and other general merchandise in small towns across the…
Penn Traffic Company
Active · founded 1854
Penn Traffic Company is one of the leading food retailers in the eastern United States.
Tengelmann Group
Active · founded 1867 · Germany
Privately held Tengelmann Group is among the world's largest retail supermarket and distribution groups, ranking number…
Smart & Final, Inc.
Active · founded 1871
Smart & Final, Inc.
AVA AG (Allgemeine Handelsgesellschaft der Verbraucher AG)
Active · founded 1892 · Germany
Active throughout Germany and in the Netherlands, AVA AG (Allgemeine Handelsgesellschaft der Verbraucher AG) is one of…
Marks and Spencer p.l.c.
Active · founded 1894 · United Kingdom
Marks and Spencer p.l.c.
Comptoirs Modernes S.A.
Active · founded 1896 · France
Of the leading independent food retailers in France, Comptoirs Modernes S.A.
Hannaford Bros. Co.
Active · founded 1902
Hannaford Bros.
Schultz Sav-O Stores, Inc.
Active · founded 1911
Schultz Sav-O Stores, Inc.
Guyenne et Gascogne
Active · founded 1913 · France
Guyenne et Gascogne is engaged in retail commercial distribution, with a primary focus on food products through the…
Walgreen Co.
Active · founded 1916
Walgreen Co.
Piggly Wiggly Southern, Inc.
Active · founded 1919
Food retailer Piggly Wiggly Southern, Inc.
The Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Co.
Active · founded 1920
With its chain of 11 Acme supermarkets, nine Acme SuperCenters (which combine general merchandise and grocery items),…
Coles Myer Ltd.
Active · founded 1921 · Australia
Coles Myer Ltd.
Dillon Companies Inc.
Active · founded 1921
Dillon Companies Inc.
Waldbaum, Inc.
Active · founded 1921
Waldbaum, Inc.
CVS Corporation
Active · founded 1922
Although it trails arch-rival Walgreen Co.
J Sainsbury plc
Active · founded 1922 · United Kingdom
Supermarkets, hypermarkets, and other grocery outlets clustered tightly in the south of England form the nucleus of…
Supervalu Inc.
Active · founded 1926
Minnesota-based Supervalu Inc.
Brookshire Grocery Company
Active · founded 1928
The Brookshire Grocery Company operates more than 100 supermarkets in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc.
Active · founded 1930
King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc.
Lucky Stores, Inc.
Active · founded 1931
Lucky Stores, Inc.
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
Active · founded 1931
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
The Golub Corporation
Active · founded 1932
"Successful, innovative, and civic-minded" are terms that describe well The Golub Corporation of Schenectady, New York.
Big Bear Stores Co.
Active · founded 1933
Big Bear Stores Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Penn Traffic Co., is a regional grocery chain operating 65…
Marsh Supermarkets, Inc.
Active · founded 1933
Marsh Supermarkets, Inc.
Meijer Incorporated
Active · founded 1934
Meijer Incorporated, according to Forbes magazine,"is one of the 15 largest growing private companies" in the United…
Associated British Foods plc
Active · founded 1935 · United Kingdom
With high-ranking positions in several categories of foodstuffs, Associated British Foods plc (ABF) stands as one of…
General Nutrition Companies, Inc.
Active · founded 1935
General Nutrition Companies, Inc., is the largest specialty retailer of vitamin, mineral, and sports nutrition…
Giant Food Inc.
Active · founded 1935
From its Depression-era beginnings as Giant Food Shopping Center Inc., Giant Food Inc.
Raley's Inc.
Active · founded 1935
Raley's Inc.
D'Agostino Supermarkets Inc.
Active · founded 1939
D'Agostino Supermarkets Inc.
El Corte Inglés Group
Active · founded 1940 · Spain
El Corte Inglés, S.A.
Kesko Ltd. (Kesko Oy)
Active · founded 1940 · Finland
The largest trading company in Finland, Kesko Ltd.
P&C Foods Inc.
Active · founded 1941
P&C Foods Inc.
Big V Supermarkets, Inc.
Active · founded 1942
Operator of a leading supermarket chain in the northeastern United States, Big V Supermarkets, Inc.
Albertson's, Inc.
Active · founded 1945
Albertson's, Inc.
Mercury Drug Corporation
Active · founded 1945 · Philippines
Mercury Drug Corporation is the Philippines' dominant pharmacy group.
Jitney-Jungle Stores of America, Inc.
Active · founded 1946
Jitney-Jungle Stores of America, Inc., one of the largest, privately owned grocery chains in the nation, operates in…
Kash n' Karry Food Stores, Inc.
Active · founded 1947
Kash n' Karry Food Stores, Inc.
Koninklijke Ahold N.V. (Royal Ahold)
Active · founded 1948 · The Netherlands
Koninklijke Ahold N.V.
Fruth Pharmacy, Inc.
Active · founded 1952
Based in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, Fruth Pharmacy, Inc., operates 22 drugstores, generally 10,000 square feet in…
Hughes Markets, Inc.
Active · founded 1952
A respected operator in the southern California supermarket industry, Hughes Markets, Inc.
DeMoulas / Market Basket Inc.
Active · founded 1954
DeMoulas / Market Basket Inc.
Quality Food Centers, Inc.
Active · founded 1954
The largest independent supermarket chain in the Seattle/Puget Sound area of Washington State, Quality Food Centers,…
Village Super Market, Inc.
Active · founded 1955
Village Super Market, Inc., ranks among the top 100 grocery store companies in the United States.
Cumberland Farms, Inc.
Active · founded 1957
Founded in 1938 as a one-cow dairy farm, Cumberland Farms, Inc.
Groupe Promodès S.A.
Active · founded 1957 · France
With 11 percent of the French market, Groupe Promodès S.A.
The Daiei, Inc.
Active · founded 1957 · Japan
The Daiei, Inc.
Rite Aid Corporation
Active · founded 1958
Rite Aid Corporation, which ranks as the third largest retail drugstore chain in the United States, operates about…
Dart Group Corporation
Active · founded 1960
Dart Group Corporation, a pioneer in discount marketing and in the concept of "superstores," is a holding company for…
Harris Teeter Inc.
Active · founded 1960
Harris Teeter Inc.
Eckerd Corporation
Active · founded 1961
Eckerd Corporation operates a chain of about 2,900 drug stores located in 20 states in the Northeast, Southeast, and…
Inserra Supermarkets
Active · founded 1961
Inserra Supermarkets operates approximately two dozen grocery stores, licensed under the ShopRite name, in New Jersey…
Ingles Markets, Inc.
Active · founded 1963
Ingles Markets, Inc.
Western Beef, Inc.
Active · founded 1963
Western Beef, Inc.
Lund Food Holdings, Inc.
Active · founded 1964
Lund Food Holdings, Inc.
American Stores Company
Active · founded 1965
Built largely through the drive and ambition of one family, American Stores Company has developed into one of the…
Wawa Inc.
Active · founded 1968
With 515 outlets in 1996, Wawa Inc.
AEON Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1969 · Japan
Formerly known as JUSCO AEON Co., Ltd.
Discount Drug Mart, Inc.
Active · founded 1969
Discount Drug Mart, Inc.
Red Apple Group, Inc.
Active · founded 1970
Under the names Gristede's, Sloan's, and Red Apple, Red Apple Group, Inc., wholly owned by John A.
Uny Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1971 · Japan
Early 20th century:[fs54]Choju Nishikawaya opens a footwear store in Nudge, the largest city in Chubu.
Dairy Mart Convenience Stores, Inc.
Active · founded 1972
Dairy Mart Convenience Stores, Inc.
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A.
Active · founded 1972 · France
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A.
GIB Group
Active · founded 1974 · Belgium
GIB Group, Belgium's top retailer, is active in four sectors: supermarkets and hypermarkets; do-it-yourself (DIY) home…
Farmacias Ahumada S.A.
Active · founded 1977 · Chile
Farmacias Ahumada S.A.
Travel Ports of America, Inc.
Active · founded 1979
Travel Ports of America, Inc., operates around-the-clock, full-service travel plazas that provide customers with motor…
Uni-Marts, Inc.
Active · founded 1981
Uni-Marts, Inc., is the ninth-largest convenience store chain in the United States in sales and among the top 100 U.S.
Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited
Active · founded 1984 · Bermuda
Jardine Matheson is one of the oldest names in East Asia, and Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited is an international…
Wild Oats Markets, Inc.
Active · founded 1984
Wild Oats Markets, Inc., is the second largest natural foods grocery chain in the United States.
NeighborCare, Inc.
Active · founded 1985
NeighborCare, Inc.
E-Z Serve Corporation
Active · founded 1986
As the seventh largest convenience store operator in the United States, E-Z Serve Corporation owns and operates 737…
Harry's Farmers Market Inc.
Active · founded 1987
Harry's Farmers Market Inc.
Megafoods Stores Inc.
Active · founded 1987
Megafoods Stores Inc.
Riser Foods, Inc.
Active · founded 1988
Riser Foods, Inc., a holding company, controls northeast Ohio's largest grocery chain.
Peapod, Inc.
Active · founded 1989
Peapod, Inc.
Buttrey Food & Drug Stores Co.
Active · founded 1990
The largest operator of food and drug stores in Montana, Buttrey Food & Drug Stores Co.
Carr-Gottstein Foods Co.
Active · founded 1990
The leading food and drug retailer in Alaska, Carr-Gottstein Foods Co.
Pathmark Stores, Inc.
Active · founded 1993
The largest retailer in the Northeast operating under a single trade name, Pathmark Stores, Inc.
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