Safeway, Inc. history, profile and history video
Safeway, Inc. is engaged in the food and drug retailing business in North America. It has an extensive network of distribution, manufacturing and food-processing facilities to support the retail operations. Safeway provides full array of grocery items, food and general merchandise and feature a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops and fuel centers. The company owns and operates GroceryWorks.com Operating Co. LLC, an online grocery channel doing business under the names Safeway.com, Vons.com and Genuardis.com. It changed its name from Safeway Stores, Inc. to Safeway, Inc. in February 1990. Safeway was founded by M.B. Skaggs in 1915 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, CA.“
“Safeway Story
Safeway, the Start-Up
In 1915, M.B. Skaggs, an ambitious young man in the small Idaho town of American Falls, purchased a tiny grocery store from his father. M.B.’s business strategy, to give his customers value and to expand by keeping a narrow profit margin, proved spectacularly successful. By 1926 he was opening 428 Skaggs stores in 10 states. M.B. almost doubled the size of his business that year when he merged his company with 322 Safeway (formerly Selig) stores and incorporated as Safeway, Inc. Two years later M.B. listed Safeway on the New York Stock Exchange. M.B. did not let the difficulties of the Great Depression dilute his pioneering focus on value for customers. In the 1930s Safeway introduced produce pricing by the pound, adding “sell by” dates on perishables to assure freshness, nutritional labeling, even some of the first parking lots.
Safeway Expands
M.B. Skagg’s value vision still drives Safeway, though on a dramatically larger scale. There are now over 1,600 Safeway stores across the US and Canada. These include 251 Safeway stores in Northern California, 279 Vons stores in Southern California and Nevada, 114 Randalls and Tom Thumb stores in Texas, as well as 35 Carrs stores in Alaska.
Safeway Today
We’re proud to be a part of local communities, and our customers can always count on us for great prices on the freshest produce and meat, plus thousands of everyday lower prices down every aisle. Our website offers recipes, meal tips and great options for healthier living. We also deliver groceries in many major U.S. cities and suburbs. Customers can order anytime from their home or office, or order on-the-go using our mobile app.”
*Information from Forbes.com and Safeway.com
**Video published on YouTube by “Common Ground: A Sharing of Our Stories“
