Fred G. Meyer
| Fred G. Meyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frederick Grubmeyer February 21, 1886 Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 2, 1978 (aged 92) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Fred G. Meyer (February 21, 1886 – September 2, 1978) was an American businessman.
Born Frederick Grubmeyer in Brooklyn,[1] he traveled through the American West before settling in Portland, Oregon in 1909, where he founded a horse-drawn coffee service for lumber camps around Portland. After a few years of new ventures in Alaska, he returned to Oregon and founded a coffee shop (the Java Coffee Company, later changed to Mission Coffee Company in 1915) and then in 1922, a grocery store bearing his name in downtown Portland. He expanded this store into the Fred Meyer chain of supermarkets and department stores.
[edit] Biography
Meyer introduced innovative marketing concepts; he is often credited as one of the originators of the "one-stop shopping" concept, when in 1933, he built the Hollywood Fred Meyer, his first full-block megastore on Northeast Sandy Boulevard at 42nd Avenue in Portland (now a Rite Aid since the store's relocation to Hollywood West in 1988).
Fred G. Meyer's wife, Eva Marie, died in 1960.[2]
Meyer was opposed to zoning, specifically naming the model of Houston, Texas as a successful example.[2]
Upon his death his stock in Fred Meyer established the Meyer Memorial Trust,[3] leaving behind $60 million to be used for "religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes."[2] The Meyer Memorial Trust is distinct from the Fred Meyer Foundation. The latter is sponsored by now Kroger-owned subsidiaries of Fred Meyer Stores and Quality Food Centers.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Jordan Wankoff, David Salamie, Christina Stansell (1993). "International Directory of Company Histories, Volume 64". International Directory of Company Histories. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5202/is_1993/ai_n19122234.
- ^ a b c MacColl, E. Kimbark (1979). The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1915-1950. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press. ISBN 0960340815.
- ^ "Meyer Memorial Trust — About Us". http://www.mmt.org/about_us/. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
- ^ "The Kroger Co. - Corporate News & Info: Charitable Giving". http://www.thekrogerco.com/corpnews/corpnewsinfo_charitablegiving_fredmeyer.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
