Smith's Food and Drug
Encyclopedia
Smith's Food and Drug, commonly known as Smith's, is a chain of supermarkets in the Intermountain West
and Southwest regions of the United States
. Smith's operates 132 stores in Utah
, Nevada
, New Mexico
, Arizona
, Montana
, Idaho
, and Wyoming
. Smith's utilizes a combination food and drug center format that strives for one-stop shopping. The chain's early 1990s advertising slogan was, "The one place that takes the place of going place to place."
under the ticker symbol SFD. In 1989, Smith's exited the once successful Boise, Idaho
market after Boise's city council refused approval for Smith's to open a large store in Boise. Smith's attempted to re-enter the Boise, Idaho market in 1996. However, numerous delays and the 1999 Kroger-Fred Meyer merger forced Smith's to halt construction on its sixth planned location indefinitely. In the early 1990s, Smith's attempted a major expansion into the Southern California
market which was completely unsuccessful and resulted in Smith's accumulating nearly $500 million in debt.
of Portland, Oregon
.
In 1999, Fred Meyer was acquired by The Kroger
Company. As a result of the Kroger-Fred Meyer merger, most Smith's Food & Drug Centers in Arizona were rebranded as Fry's Food and Drug
. The Smith's Food & Drug Centers in Kingman
, Lake Havasu City, and Bullhead City did not change, but remained in the Smith's Las Vegas Division.
Smith's Food and Drug is a division of The Kroger Company, Smith's maintains its corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah
.
The Kroger Company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio
.
In April 2004, Smith's assumed the Utah operations of sister chain Fred Meyer. Five Utah Fred Meyer stores were converted to the new Smith's Marketplace banner in June of that year. The other Utah Fred Meyer stores located in Ogden
, West Valley City
, and Sandy
were closed in April 2004. Earlier, Fred Meyer had closed a full-service store located in Orem
that failed to meet expectations. Smith's Marketplaces contain a full-line food and drug store, with a full assortment of general merchandise, and Fred Meyer Jewelers
.
This concept differs from Kroger's other "Marketplace" concepts in that it offers a full line of general merchandise (apparel, home, and grocery). The other "Marketplace" concepts (Fry's Marketplace, Kroger Marketplace) only carry select home items and a full assortment of grocery, with no apparel at all.
On November 12, 2008, Smiths opened a new construction Smith's Marketplace Store in Lehi, UT. The store is 170000 square feet (15,793.5 m²) and includes the full array of departments including grocery, apparel, and home. In 2008, Smiths also remodeled the former Fred Meyer Store located at 500 East and 500 South in Salt Lake City, UT.
Intermountain West
The Intermountain West is a region of North America lying between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the west. It is also called the Intermountain Region.- Topography :...
and Southwest regions of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Smith's operates 132 stores in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Smith's utilizes a combination food and drug center format that strives for one-stop shopping. The chain's early 1990s advertising slogan was, "The one place that takes the place of going place to place."
Beginning
Smith's began in 1932 when Lorenzo J. Smith opened his first grocery store in Brigham City, Utah. When his son Dee Smith - great nephew of Joseph Smith Jr. - joined the business he began immediately expanding it. Through partnerships and acquisitions Dee Smith built the company until his death in 1985. Later, Dee's son Jeff Smith became Chairman and CEO of Smith's. In 1989 the company completed its initial public offering and shares of the company started trading on the New York Stock ExchangeNew York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
under the ticker symbol SFD. In 1989, Smith's exited the once successful Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
market after Boise's city council refused approval for Smith's to open a large store in Boise. Smith's attempted to re-enter the Boise, Idaho market in 1996. However, numerous delays and the 1999 Kroger-Fred Meyer merger forced Smith's to halt construction on its sixth planned location indefinitely. In the early 1990s, Smith's attempted a major expansion into the Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
market which was completely unsuccessful and resulted in Smith's accumulating nearly $500 million in debt.
Acquisition by Fred Meyer and Kroger Merger
In 1997, the company was acquired by Fred MeyerFred Meyer
Fred Meyer, Inc., is a chain of hypermarkets founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, by Fred G. Meyer. The company was one of the pioneers of one-stop shopping, eventually combining a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, clothing store, shoe store, fine jewelers, home decor store, home...
of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
In 1999, Fred Meyer was acquired by The Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 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...
Company. As a result of the Kroger-Fred Meyer merger, most Smith's Food & Drug Centers in Arizona were rebranded as Fry's Food and Drug
Fry's Food and Drug
Fry's Food & Drug Stores, Inc., is a chain of supermarkets that has a major presence in the state of Arizona. Fry's also operates under the banner of Fry's Marketplace, a chain of multi-department stores. Fry's is a division of The Kroger Company....
. The Smith's Food & Drug Centers in Kingman
Kingman
- Places :* Kingman Reef in the northern Pacific OceanIn the United States:* Kingman, Arizona* Kingman, Indiana* Kingman, Kansas* Kingman, Maine* Kingman County, Kansas* Kingman Museum, natural history museum and planetarium in Battle Creek, Michigan...
, Lake Havasu City, and Bullhead City did not change, but remained in the Smith's Las Vegas Division.
Smith's Food and Drug is a division of The Kroger Company, Smith's maintains its corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
.
The Kroger Company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
.
Smith's Marketplace
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, West Valley City
West Valley City, Utah
West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 129,480 at the 2010 census,...
, and Sandy
Sandy, Utah
Sandy is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah....
were closed in April 2004. Earlier, Fred Meyer had closed a full-service store located in Orem
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
that failed to meet expectations. Smith's Marketplaces contain a full-line food and drug store, with a full assortment of general merchandise, and Fred Meyer Jewelers
Fred Meyer Jewelers
Fred Meyer Jewelers is a national chain of jewelers. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fred Meyer, Inc.-History:Fred Meyer Jewelers started in 1973 as a catalog showroom concept by Fred Meyer. As the catalog showroom fad started to die down, Fred Meyer was experiencing excellent sales growth in...
.
This concept differs from Kroger's other "Marketplace" concepts in that it offers a full line of general merchandise (apparel, home, and grocery). The other "Marketplace" concepts (Fry's Marketplace, Kroger Marketplace) only carry select home items and a full assortment of grocery, with no apparel at all.
On November 12, 2008, Smiths opened a new construction Smith's Marketplace Store in Lehi, UT. The store is 170000 square feet (15,793.5 m²) and includes the full array of departments including grocery, apparel, and home. In 2008, Smiths also remodeled the former Fred Meyer Store located at 500 East and 500 South in Salt Lake City, UT.