Fred Meyer, Inc.

Fred G. Meyer was born Frederick Grubmeyer in 1886 in Brooklyn, New York. He moved West in the 1900s starting in Alaska and eventually making his way to Portland, Oregon. He married Eva Chatfield Chiles who would become his business partner and the inspiration behind Eve's Restaurants which were coffee shops attached to many Fred Meyer stores. Fred G. Meyer died in 1978 at the age of 92. His will established a charitable trust to create a philanthropic organization now known as the Meyer Memorial Trust which is now one of the largest private foundations in the nation. The first Fred Meyer grocery store opened in downtown Portland, Oregon in 1922. Meyer opened more stores in downtown Portland in the 1920s and 1930s, then expanded into the outlying areas of Portland and beyond. By the 1990s there were stores bearing the Fred Meyer name throughout Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Arizona and Alaska. In addition to the supermarket stores, Fred Meyer, Inc. also included jewelry stores, restaurants, federal savings and loan banks, print shops, bakeries, dairies and music stores. In 1999, Fred Meyer, Inc. merged with Kroger, Inc., making the combined company the largest grocery store chain in the country.

From the description of Fred Meyer collection, 1922-2010. (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 757584442

The first Fred Meyer grocery store opened in downtown Portland, Oregon in 1922. The store's founder, Fred G. Meyer, opened more stores in downtown Portland in the 1920s and 1930s, then expanded into the outlying areas of Portland and beyond. By the 1990s there were stores bearing the Fred Meyer name throughout Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Arizona and Alaska. In addition to the supermarket stores, Fred Meyer, Inc. also included jewelry stores, restaurants, federal savings and loan banks, print shops, bakeries, dairies and music stores.

Fred G. Meyer pioneered the concept of one-stop shopping, the idea that all household goods could be purchased at one store. At Fred Meyer stores, customers could buy groceries, clothing, auto supplies, furniture, appliances, hardware, garden supplies and more. Fred Meyer was also among the first to develop self-serve drug stores at a time when all pharmaceutical products had to be purchased through a pharmacist. Fred Meyer stores are also known for their advertising slogan, "My-Te-Fine," which was also the name of the in-house brand of packaged foods.

In the 1960s through the 1990s, Fred Meyer, Inc. expanded by acquiring many smaller grocery store chains throughout the West including Marketime and QFC in Washington, B&B Stores in Montana, Grand Central and Smith's Food and Drug in Utah, Valu-Mart in Alaska and Smitty's Marketplace in Arizona. In 1999, Fred Meyer, Inc. merged with Kroger, Inc., making the combined company the largest grocery store chain in the country.

Fred G. Meyer was born Frederick Grubmeyer in 1886 in Brooklyn, New York. He moved West in the 1900s starting in Alaska and eventually making his way to Portland, Oregon. He married Eva Chatfield Chiles who would become his business partner and the inspiration behind Eve's Restaurants which were coffee shops attached to many Fred Meyer stores. Fred G. Meyer died in 1978 at the age of 92. His will established a charitable trust to create a philanthropic organization now known as the Meyer Memorial Trust which is now one of the largest private foundations in the nation.

From the guide to the Fred Meyer collection, 1922-2010, (Oregon Historical Society)