Dillons

Last updated

Dillon Companies, Inc.
Formerly
  • J.S. Dillon Cash Store (1913–1917)
  • Dillon Mercantile Company, Inc (1917–1921)
  • J.S. Dillon and Sons Company (1921-1968)
  • Dillons Companies Inc. (1968-1983)
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Retail / grocery
Predecessor
  • Sterling General Store (1890-1913)
FoundedAs a general store
1890;134 years ago (1890) in Sterling, Kansas, U.S.
As a grocery store
1913;111 years ago (1913) in Hutchinson, Kansas, U.S.
FounderJohn S. Dillon
Headquarters Hutchinson, Kansas, U.S.
Number of locations
94
Area served
Kansas
Key people
Products Bakery, dairy, delicatessen, frozen foods, general grocery, lottery, pharmacy, seafood, produce, meats, snack food, liquor, and salad bar
Services Supermarket
RevenueIncrease2.svgUS$2 billion (2021)
Number of employees
Increase2.svg 11,500 (2021)
Parent Kroger (1983–present)
Divisions
Website www.dillons.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Dillons is a regional grocery supermarket chain based in Hutchinson, Kansas, and is a division of Kroger. Other banners under the Dillon Stores Division include Gerbes in Missouri and Baker's in Omaha, Nebraska. Dillons operates grocery stores throughout Kansas with major influences in and around Wichita, Topeka, Manhattan, and Lawrence. Dillons also operates distribution centers in Goddard and Hutchinson. [1]

Contents

History

Former logo Dillons grocery.png
Former logo

In 1890, John S. Dillon opened a general store in Sterling, Kansas, and learned that allowing customers to charge then pay later and delivering groceries to their homes was a financial and manpower strain on his business. In 1913, he opened his "J.S. Dillon Cash Store" in Hutchinson, Kansas employed a new marketing concept called cash and carry, where the store would not offer credit or delivery services. Dillon opened a second store in 1915 that he managed then placed his son, Ray E. Dillon, in charge of the original store. In 1917, the company was incorporated under the name "Dillon Mercantile Company, Inc". Due to his sons John and Ray both being overseas in France during World War I, Dillon sold his company to his investment partners, but soon afterward both sons returned. They opened a new store called "J.S. Dillon and Sons Store" in 1919 and incorporated in 1921. [2]

In 1983, Dillon Companies, Inc., was acquired by The Kroger Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, creating a nationwide grocery chain. Several years later, David Dillon was named Kroger's president and COO and became CEO in 2003. Dillon retired from that position effective January 1, 2014. [3]

In 2006, Kroger opened the first Dillons Marketplace in Wichita. The concept, similar to Kroger's Fred Meyer chain, is 110,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of grocery and general merchandise. [4]

On February 12, 2015, the Dillons pharmacy location in Joplin was shuttered, four years after the Dillons store in Joplin (the only Dillons-branded store outside of Kansas) was destroyed by the 2011 Joplin tornado. [5]

Gerbes

Gerbes logo Gerbes logo.png
Gerbes logo

In 1933, Frank J. Gerbes founded Gerbes Super Markets, Inc. in Tipton, Missouri. [6] The location in Tipton closed in 2007.

In 1966, Gerbes merged with the Dillon Companies and has been a division ever since. As of 2024, Kroger currently operates four stores under the Gerbes banner in Mid-Missouri. [7]

See also

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References

  1. "Distribution Contact Page". TheKrogerCo.com. Kroger. 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  2. "History of Dillon Companies Inc". FundingUniverse.com.
  3. "Kroger No. 2 to become CEO as Dillon retires | Cincinnati.com | cincinnati.com". Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  4. "Dillons Marketplace Format Comes to Kansas". AllBusiness.com. July 14, 2006. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  5. "Dillons exits market with closing of Joplin pharmacy". February 13, 2015.
  6. Knaebel, Anna (September 4, 2021). "Cole County History: Gerbes family launches grocery chain". News Tribune. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  7. "Store Locator". Gerbes.com. Kroger. Retrieved March 27, 2024.