King Soopers & City Market
Encyclopedia
King Soopers and City Market are two supermarket
brands of Kroger
in the Rocky Mountains
of the United States
. Though they were originally separate, Kroger now manages them together.
chain with a significant presence in the state of Colorado
on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains
. The stores are located along the Front Range
from Cheyenne, Wyoming
to Pueblo, Colorado
. There are also a few locations in the foothills
west of Denver
and Colorado Springs
. In 1947, Lloyd J. King opened the first King Soopers store in Arvada
, Colorado. His mission was to offer shoppers "friendly service, value, cleanliness and quality." A few years later, King Soopers had grown to nine stores, and it was acquired by the Dillon Companies
in 1957. Nearly 30 years later, Dillons merged into Kroger.
chain on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains.
City Market was founded by the Prinster family in 1924, when four brothers - Paul, Frank, Leo and Clarence - moved to Grand Junction
from La Junta, Colorado. Tony Prinster's father, Frank Prinster Jr., was also president of the City Market, serving from 1961 to 1978. Joseph C. Prinster was president from 1978 to 1987 and Leo T. Prinster served as president from 1987 to 1990. Tony Prinster was president from 1990 until 2001. He joined the company in 1987 after practicing law.
Phillis Norris took the presidency February 4, 2001 and was the first non-member of the Prinster family to do so. She began her City Market career in 1974 as a store checker. She moved through the ranks of store management, eventually becoming vice president of retail operations in 1994, a position she held for five years.
In 1969, the company was acquired by the Dillon Companies. City Market became part of The Kroger Co. when Dillon and Kroger merged in 1983. City Market currently operates 38 stores in western and central Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.
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...
brands of Kroger
Kroger
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...
in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Though they were originally separate, Kroger now manages them together.
King Soopers
King Soopers is a supermarketSupermarket
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 a significant presence in the state of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. The stores are located along the Front Range
Front Range Urban Corridor
The Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The corridor derives its name from the Front Range, the mountain range that defines the west central boundary of the...
from Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
to Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
. There are also a few locations in the foothills
Foothills
Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...
west of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
and Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. In 1947, Lloyd J. King opened the first King Soopers store in Arvada
Arvada, Colorado
The City of Arvada is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson and Adams counties in the Denver metropolitan area of the U.S. State of Colorado. Olde Town Arvada is located northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver...
, Colorado. His mission was to offer shoppers "friendly service, value, cleanliness and quality." A few years later, King Soopers had grown to nine stores, and it was acquired by the Dillon Companies
Dillons
Dillons is a grocery supermarket chain based in Hutchinson, Kansas, and is a division of The Kroger Company. Other banners under Dillon Stores Division include Gerbes in Missouri, Baker's in Omaha, Nebraska and a Food 4 Less store in Fremont, Nebraska...
in 1957. Nearly 30 years later, Dillons merged into Kroger.
City Market
City Market is a supermarketSupermarket
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 on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains.
City Market was founded by the Prinster family in 1924, when four brothers - Paul, Frank, Leo and Clarence - moved to Grand Junction
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
from La Junta, Colorado. Tony Prinster's father, Frank Prinster Jr., was also president of the City Market, serving from 1961 to 1978. Joseph C. Prinster was president from 1978 to 1987 and Leo T. Prinster served as president from 1987 to 1990. Tony Prinster was president from 1990 until 2001. He joined the company in 1987 after practicing law.
Phillis Norris took the presidency February 4, 2001 and was the first non-member of the Prinster family to do so. She began her City Market career in 1974 as a store checker. She moved through the ranks of store management, eventually becoming vice president of retail operations in 1994, a position she held for five years.
In 1969, the company was acquired by the Dillon Companies. City Market became part of The Kroger Co. when Dillon and Kroger merged in 1983. City Market currently operates 38 stores in western and central Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.