Who owns Safeway?

Skaggs was against the prevailing high-cost system of the grocer having clerks serving all of the needs of the customer and was an early proponent of the self-service concept. Items were put within the customer's reach, and customers were able to select what they wanted from the shelves and pay for them at the checkout counter.

In 1926, Charles E. Merrill saw an opportunity to consolidate the West Coast grocery industry and offered Skaggs $1.5 million plus 30,000 shares to merge their corporations. The merger instantly created the largest chain of grocery stores west of the Mississippi.

By the early 2000s, Safeways expansion beyond the West Coast had not been well received. In February 2014, after years of struggling, Safeway was purchased by longtime rival Albertsons for $9.4 billion. Many of Safeway's private brands and IT systems were integrated and replaced Albertson's legacy equipment.

Safeway is headquartered in Pleasanton, California. The company provides grocery items, food, and general merchandise as well as a variety of specialty departments such as:

• Bakery

• Delicatessen

• Floral

• Pharmacy

• Starbucks coffee shops

• Fuel centers

Safeway has also followed the organics trend and has expanded its selections to include several organic fruits, vegetables, and mean options under the "O Organics" label. The stores offer many in-house private label brands as well as name brands across all products.

In 2021, Safeway had annual revenue of $37.6 billion, with over 250,000 employees working for the company.