Food 4 Less is a chain of warehouse grocery stores that is headquartered in Compton, California. The grocery chain is a subsidiary of grocery giant Kroger, Inc.

History
The name Food 4 Less and its logo was conceived in 1930 by a man named Lou Falley. Falley founded chains of stores under Food 4 Less and Falley’s. Falley’s stores had a full-service format while Food 4 Less stores had a no-frills format. Food 4 Less stores were what can be considered warehouse stores, with its products displayed at shelves in their original cases, instead of stacking individually. Both store chains were located all throughout the eastern part of Kansas, as well as the north western part of Missouri.

Over the years however, the number of Falley’s stores decreased, as those were converted to the Food 4 Less format. In the 1980s, Food 4 Less went into a merger with Ralphs. In 1997, Fred Meyer was able to acquire Ralphs, and along with it, Food 4 Less. One year later, Kroger acquired these stores. In the same year, Fred Meyer sold the Food 4 Less stores in the Midwest to Kansas-based Associated Wholesale Grocers. With this acquisition, these warehouse-type stores were phased out and replaced with full service stores, still under the Food 4 Less logo.

Ever since Food 4 Less stores started, they have been considered a “no-frills” store. Customers who shopped at Food 4 Less bagged their own purchases during checkout. There are a number of Food 4 Less stores in the area of Illinois, Nebraska, Southern California, Nebraska and Nevada.

Although Kroger operates many Food 4 Less stores, some are operated by franchise owners. These stores are located mostly in the states of Oregon, Northern California and Central California.

The Food 4 Less name was previously used by Fleming, however when it collapsed, the wholesalers were given the rights to the Food 4 Less name. This in turn brought them a number of customers who formerly shopped at Fleming.

In areas like Northern California, Kroger uses the name Foods Co. where it is not allowed to operate under the Food 4 Less name. This is because Kroger is bound by an agreement with Falley’s and Nuggets Markets. Nuggets Markets operate all Food 4 Less stores in northern California.

Headquarters: Compton, California
Ownership Type: A subsidiary of Kroger, Inc
Employees: Information not available
Geography: USA
Demography: Retail products consumers

 Important links
Food 4 Less Corporate Home Page
Promotions and Coupons
Food 4 Less Store Locator
Products
Jobs and Careers
Food 4 Less Contact Information