QFC

Jack Croco began his career in the grocery business in the 1940s in Boise, Idaho, working for Albertsons. By 1950, he had become the district manager in the Northwest and was responsible for opening the first Albertson's stores in the Seattle area. Soon afterward in 1955, Croco opened his own grocery store in Bellevue, called Lake Hills Thriftway.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

The grocery chain that would come to be named QFC in 1963 was founded in 1955 with the first store at 6600 Roosevelt Way N.E. in Seattle by a group headed by Vern Fortin, the former president of Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries and founder of Vernell's Fine Candies. Croco merged his store with QFC in 1960, and remained involved in the company until his death in 1991 at the age of 65,{{Cite news|title=QFC Grew from 4 Stores to Major Chain|last=Gorlick|first=Arthur|date=November 8, 1997|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|page=A4}} though in 1986 he sold QFC to Seattle investment firm Sloan, Adkins & Co.,{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1986/8601020285.asp|title=QFC Grocery Stores to be Sold|last=Ramsey|first=Bruce|date=January 18, 1986|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=May 21, 2009|page=A3}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} which took QFC public in 1987.

Christopher A. Sinclair became the CEO in 1996; the following year, QFC purchased the Uddenberg grocery company, which operated Thriftway and Stock Market stores throughout western Washington. In late 1997, QFC was sold to Portland-based Fred Meyer,{{cite news|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19971107/2570906/fred-meyer-to-buy-qfc|title=Fred Meyer to Buy QFC|last=Moriwaki|first=Lee|date=November 7, 1997|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=May 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809183855/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19971107&slug=2570906|archive-date=August 9, 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jk5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4-sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6136%2C1914446 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |last=McCall |first=William |title=Fred Meyer's big move shows firm's strength, stamina |date=November 8, 1997 |page=5B}} and several months later in May 1998, Kroger announced its intention to acquire Fred Meyer (and QFC),{{cite news|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19981020/2778731/attention-shoppers-weve-been-sold---again----as-grocery-giants-take-over-customers-fret-about-choice|title=Attention Shoppers: We've Been Sold — Again|last1=Matassa Flores|first1=Michele|date=October 20, 1998|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=May 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809184326/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19981020&slug=2778731|archive-date=August 9, 2018|url-status=live|last2=Heim|first2=Joe}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-tNRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Zm8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6052%2C9766080 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last=Dunn |first=Christine |title=Kroger in $12 billion deal to buy Fred Meyer |date=October 20, 1988 |page=D1}} which was approved a year later. The Roosevelt store operated until 2012; it closed on May 5 to make way for construction of the Roosevelt light rail station.[https://web.archive.org/web/20140617223623/http://www.roosiehood.com/2012/04/make-room-for-light-rail-roosevelt-qfc-closure-just-weeks-away/ Make room for light rail: Roosevelt QFC closure just weeks away] Roosiehood, April 19, 2012

A Fred Meyer store at the Broadway Market on Seattle's Capitol Hill was replaced by a QFC in 2004.{{cite news |last=Frey |first=Christine |date=June 15, 2004 |title=QFC store will replace Broadway's Fred Meyer |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/qfc-store-will-replace-broadway-s-fred-meyer-1147238.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |accessdate=September 12, 2023}}

File:QFC Flagship Store.png

Over the years, QFC has expanded aggressively through acquisitions. When A&P abandoned the Seattle area in 1974, QFC took over several locations. They expanded to surrounding counties in the 1990s by acquiring and renaming Olson's Food Stores, Johnny's Food Centers, Stock Market Grocery Stores, and several Thriftway stores. Between 1990 and 1996, thirty stores were acquired from eleven independent grocery chains.{{Cite news|title=Growing QFC Will Buy 25 Supermarkets|date=November 13, 1996|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|page=B8}} Among them was Olson's Foods, a Lynnwood-based chain with twelve existing stores and four new stores in development.{{cite news |last=Wieland Nogaki |first=Sylvia |date=March 3, 1995 |title=QFC completes Olson's purchase after short delay |page=E1 |work=The Seattle Times}} Reed's Super Valu in Port Hadlock and Stock Market Foods in Port Townsend were acquired in 1997,{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1997/9705200079.asp|title=QFC Plans Expansion with Two New Food Stores Near Olympia|last=P-I Staff|date=May 20, 1997|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=May 21, 2009|page=B4}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1997/9704290042.asp|title=Reed's Super Valu Bought by QFC; Employees to Stay|last=P-I Staff|date=April 29, 1997|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=May 21, 2009|page=B5}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and the company also expanded into Oregon in the Portland metropolitan area.{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1997/9705180185.asp|title=QFC Plans to Enter Market In Portland With Two Stores|last=P-I Staff|date=May 17, 1997|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=May 21, 2009|page=B8}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

During the tenure of CEO Stuart Sloan in the 1980s, the company branded itself as an upmarket chain and began offering more premium items. It had an initial public offering in 1987. In the mid-1990s, QFC expanded to Southern California by acquiring Hughes Family Markets (which kept its name). By the mid-1990s, many Hughes store locations were sold to Ralphs, which was soon sold to Fred Meyer, later acquired by Kroger.{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1996/9611210055.asp|title=QFC Buys Chain in California|last=Virgin|first=Bill|date=November 21, 1996|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=May 21, 2009}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} A new flagship store opened in downtown Kirkland in 2019, with {{convert|50,000|sqft|sqm}} of space.{{cite news |date=August 1, 2019 |title=QFC opens Kirkland Urban location, focuses on organic foods |url=http://www.kirklandreporter.com/business/qfc-opens-kirkland-urban-location-focuses-on-organic-foods/ |work=Kirkland Reporter |access-date=December 2, 2019}} A rebrand to "the Q" was proposed in 2018 but later rejected.

Kroger proposed an acquisition of rival grocer Albertsons in 2022 that would have required the combined company to spin off locations to preserve brand competition. Among the proposed aspects of the merger was a divestment of all but five of QFC's 59 locations. The acquisition was rejected by the Federal Trade Commission in 2024, leaving QFC part of the Kroger Company.{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Paul |date=December 28, 2024 |title=Once Seattle's grocery darling, QFC in limbo after Kroger-Albertsons merger fails |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/once-seattles-grocery-darling-qfc-in-limbo-after-kroger-albertsons-merger-fails/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=December 28, 2024}}

In 1996, Stuart Sloan, former owner and chairman of QFC, promised to spend at least $1 million a year for the next eight years to overhaul one of Seattle Public Schools's most challenged schools, T.T. Minor Elementary. The funds were donated in addition to public dollars and helped to pay for uniforms, smaller class sizes and a year-round schedule, though the manner in which the funds were applied sparked controversy.{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1997/9705140088.asp|title=Donation to School Criticized by League|last=Shukovsky|first=Paul|date=May 14, 1997|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=May 21, 2009|page=B1}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite news|title=Rethinking Sloan's gracious gift to school|date=May 16, 1997|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|page=A14}}

Fred Meyer and QFC workers are primarily represented by UFCW Local 3000. After the union distributed Black Lives Matter buttons in 2020, Kroger managers prohibited their use by employees. The action was found to violate federal labor law by a National Labor Relations Board judge in May 2023.{{cite news |last=Yoon-Hendricks |first=Alexandra |date=May 9, 2023 |title=Fred Meyer, QFC illegally barred BLM pins at work, judge rules |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/fred-meyer-qfc-illegally-barred-blm-pins-at-work-judge-rules/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=May 20, 2023}}

{{reflist}}

• {{official website|https://www.qfc.com/}}

{{Kroger}}

{{Supermarkets of the United States}}

{{Seattle Corporations}}

Category:Kroger

Category:1955 establishments in Washington (state)

Category:Companies based in Bellevue, Washington

Category:Retail companies established in 1955

Category:Economy of the Northwestern United States

Category:Supermarkets of the United States

Category:1980s initial public offerings

Category:1997 mergers and acquisitions

Category:American companies established in 1955