Kroger formed Great Western Tea Company with his friend in 1883. By 1885, the company had four stores.
He expanded to almost thirty stores by 1900. In 1902 Great Western Tea Company was renamed Kroger Grocery and Baking and 40 stores were included in the chain.
Kroger was adamant about buying quality foods and testing what he solid. He was one of the first to advertise extensively in the daily newspaper.
He pioneered methods of bulk buying, passing savings on to customers. In the early twentieth century Kroger became the first grocer to bring a meat department into grocery store – and fought a long battle with his butchers to prevent them from short-weighing and stealing.
In 1928 Bernard Kroger was succeeded by his son, Bernard H. Kroger Jr.
Bernard H. Kroger the founder of Kroger
