King Kullen
Encyclopedia
King Kullen Grocery Co. is an American supermarket
chain with 45 stores, on Long Island
and Staten Island
. The company is headquartered in Bethpage, New York
and was founded by Michael J. Cullen
in 1930. It is notable for its title of "America's First Supermarket" as recognized by the Smithsonian Institution
.
employee who devised the concept of the modern supermarket
. Cullen attempted to make his concept public when he wrote to Kroger president Bernard Kroger, proposing a new type of food store with a focus on low prices, cash sales, and without delivery service, in larger stores (at low rents) with ample parking.
In his proposal, Cullen suggested that this new type of store could achieve 10 times the volume and profits of the average Kroger or A&P. After Cullen's letter went unanswered, he quit his job and moved his family to Long Island, where he launched his concept. Cullen leased a vacant garage at 171st Street and Jamaica Avenue in Queens
, near a busy shopping district. The store, dubbed "King Kullen", opened on August 4, 1930.
King Kullen is notable for its title of "America's First Supermarket", and is recognized as such by the Smithsonian Institution
. The chain is still owned by the Cullen family. More recently, former New York City Councilman
Jack Muratori
served as a King Kullen executive.
King Kullen's 45 stores are on Long Island and Staten Island.
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
chain with 45 stores, on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. The company is headquartered in Bethpage, New York
Bethpage, New York
Bethpage is a hamlet located on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States, as well as a census-designated place with borders slightly different from those of the hamlet...
and was founded by Michael J. Cullen
Michael J. Cullen
Michael J. Cullen was an Irish American entrepreneur and salesman, perhaps best known as the founder of the King Kullen grocery store chain, widely considered to be the first supermarket founded in America. He is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as the inventor of the modern...
in 1930. It is notable for its title of "America's First Supermarket" as recognized by the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
History
King Kullen was founded by Michael J. Cullen, a then-KrogerKroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
employee who devised the concept of the modern supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
. Cullen attempted to make his concept public when he wrote to Kroger president Bernard Kroger, proposing a new type of food store with a focus on low prices, cash sales, and without delivery service, in larger stores (at low rents) with ample parking.
In his proposal, Cullen suggested that this new type of store could achieve 10 times the volume and profits of the average Kroger or A&P. After Cullen's letter went unanswered, he quit his job and moved his family to Long Island, where he launched his concept. Cullen leased a vacant garage at 171st Street and Jamaica Avenue in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, near a busy shopping district. The store, dubbed "King Kullen", opened on August 4, 1930.
King Kullen is notable for its title of "America's First Supermarket", and is recognized as such by the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. The chain is still owned by the Cullen family. More recently, former New York City Councilman
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
Jack Muratori
Jack Muratori
Jack Muratori was a Republican Party lawmaker from Queens, New York who represented a Queens, At-Large New York City Council district from 1974 to 1983. He also served as Minority Leader in 1983....
served as a King Kullen executive.
Sales
Supermarket News ranked King Kullen No. 75 in the 2007 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2005–06 fiscal year estimated sales of $800 million.Where found