Safeway is a grocery store chain in the United States. It is headquartered in Pleasanton, California. As of August 2017, Safeway operates 1,697 stores across the United States.
Safeway was founded in 1915 by M.B. Skaggs in American Falls, Idaho.
Skaggs later merged Safeway with his father’s company, Skaggs-Safeway Stores, and the name was changed to Safeway Incorporated. Safeway expanded rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s, opening stores across the United States.
In 1952, Safeway was listed on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time. In 1961, Safeway acquired GroceryWorks Supermarkets in Southern California. In 1963, Safeway opened its first food service division, which operated cafeterias and restaurants under the names “Safeway Select” and “Foodarama”.
In 1986, Safeway was acquired by a group of investors led by investor William H. Gates Sr., the father of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. The new owners sold off non-grocery assets such as restaurants and food-service divisions, and focused on expanding Safeway’s grocery store operations.
In 2015, Safeway was acquired by Albertsons. After the merger, many Safeway stores were rebranded as Albertsons or closed outright. However, some Safeway stores remain open under their original name.
So is Safeway only in Washington? No, but a majority of their stores are located there.
