In American Falls, Idaho, the first Safeway Inc. store opened its doors in April 1915. Baptist clergyman S. M. Skaggs opposed “the growing evil of installment purchasing” in supermarkets and other establishments. He started Skaggs, a store where customers may choose products from the shelves and pay at the register. S.M. Skaggs’s son, M.B. Skaggs, offered to acquire the business for $1088, or $31500 in 2022. He started a shop in Burley, Idaho, after three years. Skaggs operated a number of firms in Montana and Idaho to expand his enterprise.
In 1926, M.B. Skaggs acquired a grocery store and a coffee business. He persuaded his five siblings to open 428 stores throughout 10 states under the names Skaggs Cash Store and Skaggs United locations. Since Skaggs believed the chain would continue longer than he would, he combined his company with 322 Sam Seelig Company stores and changed the name to Safeway Inc. Since cash was being used instead of credit, this was the “safe way” to purchase food. A family would not get indebted due to a store bill, as many families did during the Great Depression.
Charles E. Merrill, the founder of Merrill Lynch, considered integrating West Coast grocery stores in the fall of that year. He handed Skaggs $1.5 million and 30,000 shares of the new firm in exchange for his purchasing 322 Safeway stores from W.R.H. Weldon. Skaggs consented to accept both. M.B. Skaggs became CEO thanks to the Skaggs/Safeway union. Safeway eventually joined the NYSE after two years. The supermarket industry introduced price by the pound, “sell by” dates on perishables, nutritional information, and parking lots initially in the 1930s. Following the merger, Safeway grew to become the largest food retailer in the West. The business relocated from Reno, Nevada to Oakland, California in 1929 before making a second shift, this time to Pleasanton, California, in 1996.
Prior to 2000, the corporation had expanded to encompass countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, West Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Except on the West Coast, growth was unsuccessful. Safeway considered selling in 2014, and Albertson’s offered a $9.4 billion bid. Safeway names were added to Albertsons on January 30, 2015. According to a merger agreement, Kroger is prepared to spend $24.6 billion for Albertsons.
