History & Leadership Team

In 1883, Barney Kroger opened a single grocery store at 66 Pearl Street in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Nearly 140 years later, Kroger operates nearly 2,800 stores in 35 states.

In the 1940s, a man named James P. Herring was responsible for developing what was then seen as a novel retail concept: self-service drug stores. After opening several for another retailer, he opened his own in Plainfield, New Jersey – the “Sav-On Drug Store – which then expanded. With a growing interest in incorporating drug stores into grocery retail, Kroger acquired Herring’s chain and opened its first drug store, “SupeRx,” next to a Kroger grocery store in Milford, Ohio in 1961. The store still serves the community today.

Herring became the CEO of Kroger in 1970. By Kroger’s 100th birthday, the SupeRx drug division operated 575 drug stores in 20 states. Through the years, the company moved pharmacies into the grocery stores, added drive-throughs where they could, and added services like vaccines. To further meet the demands of communities and customers, Kroger merged with several other retailers to expand its business and growth, and became one of the nation’s largest pharmacy providers, also offering mail order prescriptions.

Now in 2023, Kroger Health, the healthcare division of Kroger, is on a mission to help people live healthier lives through the power of Food as Medicine and by providing expert, credible and convenient care. With more than 24,000 associates, Kroger Health operates more than 2,250 pharmacies in 35 states, serving 17 million patients annually.