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112-644: American Stores was formed in 1917 with the merger of five separate grocery stores. At the time, the Acme Tea Company had 433 stores; the S. C. Childs Company had 268 stores; the James Bell Company had 214; Robinson & Crawford had 186 stores; and the George M. Dunlap Company had 122. The leadership from Robinson & Crawford was put in charge of the combined 1,223-store chain. By 1925, American Stores had grown to nearly 1,800 stores. In 1928,

224-473: A Caliph) on their way to Guerrero, Mexico where they played a future role in the wars of independence . Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of California in 1602 for New Spain , putting ashore in Monterey . Despite the on-the-ground explorations of California in the 16th century, Rodríguez's idea of California as an island persisted. Such depictions appeared on many European maps well into

336-459: A Spanish navigator." The name most likely derived from the mythical island of California in the fictional story of Queen Calafia , as recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo . Queen Calafia's kingdom was said to be a remote land rich in gold and pearls, inhabited by beautiful Black women who wore gold armor and lived like Amazons , as well as griffins and other strange beasts. Abbreviations of

448-598: A commodity until the 1849 California Gold Rush . From the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the United States and Canada began to arrive in Northern California. These new arrivals used the Siskiyou Trail , California Trail , Oregon Trail and Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts in and surrounding California. The early government of the newly independent Mexico

560-624: A division of Kmart , for $ 60 million. During this time, 152 Alpha Beta stores in California were sold to the Yucaipa Companies for $ 251 million. The company also put its 275 unit ACME Markets chain on the block in early 1991, but soon pulled it off the market instead of selling to the company's union. In January 1992, 74 newly re-branded and remodeled Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Arkansas Jewel-Osco combination stores were sold to Albertsons for $ 455 million. In August 1994,

672-471: A few former Pathmark (these were former ShopRite ) stores. Former Penn Fruit buildings, with their trademark barrel roof, could not be adapted to this model. Even many A-Frames were replaced by the often older but larger acquired stores. In the early 1970s, Acme introduced a discount chain, Super Saver , in an effort to compete in densely populated areas. Both chains had the slogan "Acme and Super Saver - you're going to like it here!" The brand Super Saver

784-576: A free state, the "loitering or orphaned Indians", were de facto enslaved by their new Anglo-American masters under the 1850 Act for the Government and Protection of Indians . One of these de facto slave auctions was approved by the Los Angeles City Council and occurred for nearly twenty years. There were many massacres in which hundreds of indigenous people were killed by settlers for their land. Between 1850 and 1860,

896-624: A modest home which in the 1960s cost $ 25,000 would cost half a million dollars or more in urban areas by 2005. More people commuted longer hours to afford a home in more rural areas while earning larger salaries in the urban areas. Speculators bought houses, expecting to make a huge profit in months, then rolling it over by buying more properties. Mortgage companies were compliant, as people assumed prices would keep rising. The bubble burst in 2007–8 as prices began to crash. Hundreds of billions in property values vanished and foreclosures soared, as financial institutions and investors were badly hurt. In

1008-410: A part of Mexico. In 1846, the total settler population of the western part of the old Alta California had been estimated to be no more than 8,000, plus about 100,000 Native Americans, down from about 300,000 before Hispanic settlement in 1769. In 1848, only one week before the official American annexation of the area, gold was discovered in California, this being an event which was to forever alter both

1120-748: A short break in 1862 when legislative sessions were held in San Francisco due to flooding in Sacramento . Once the state's Constitutional Convention had finalized its state constitution, it applied to the U.S. Congress for admission to statehood . On September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 , California became a free state and September   9 a state holiday . During the American Civil War (1861–1865), California sent gold shipments eastward to Washington in support of

1232-612: A state Constitutional Convention was first held in Monterey. Among the first tasks of the convention was a decision on a location for the new state capital. The first full legislative sessions were held in San Jose (1850–1851). Subsequent locations included Vallejo (1852–1853), and nearby Benicia (1853–1854); these locations eventually proved to be inadequate as well. The capital has been located in Sacramento since 1854 with only

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1344-621: Is Sacramento . The state's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast and metropolitan areas in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, and from the redwood and Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert in the southeast. Two-thirds of the nation's earthquake risk lies in California. The Central Valley , a fertile agricultural area, dominates the state's center. The large size of

1456-760: Is a supermarket chain operating 161 stores throughout Connecticut , Delaware , Maryland , New Jersey , the Hudson Valley of New York , and Pennsylvania and, as of 1998, is a subsidiary of Albertsons , and part of its presence in the Northeast. It is headquartered in East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania , near Malvern , a Philadelphia suburb. Acme Markets has 162 supermarkets in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. After many decades of being

1568-526: Is the home of Hollywood , the oldest and one of the largest film industries in the world, profoundly influencing global entertainment. The San Francisco Bay and the Greater Los Angeles areas are seen as the centers of the global technology and U.S. film industries, respectively. The Spaniards gave the name Las Californias to the peninsula of Baja California (in modern-day Mexico). As Spanish explorers and settlers moved north and inland,

1680-926: The American Stores Tower had nearly 2,000 corporate employees. During this period, American Stores itself did not operate any food or drugstores in Utah having sold-off the Osco Drug and Alpha Beta Utah stores in 1991. In early 1994, American Stores launched the Price Advantage discount warehouse food store concept in California. New store formats were built in Anaheim , Indio , National City , Oceanside and several existing Lucky stores were converted to this warehouse format in Sacramento , Pittsburg , Vacaville , and Woodland . However, Price Club threatened at lawsuit over name infringement , so

1792-504: The Battle of Providencia near Los Angeles, he convinced each side that they had no reason to be fighting each other. As a result of Marsh's actions, they abandoned the fight, Micheltorena was defeated, and California-born Pio Pico was returned to the governorship. This paved the way to California's ultimate acquisition by the United States. In 1846, a group of American settlers in and around Sonoma rebelled against Mexican rule during

1904-652: The Bear Flag Revolt . Afterward, rebels raised the Bear Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe and the words "California Republic") at Sonoma. The Republic's only president was William B. Ide , who played a pivotal role during the Bear Flag Revolt. This revolt by American settlers served as a prelude to the later American military invasion of California and was closely coordinated with nearby American military commanders. The California Republic

2016-715: The California Master Plan for Higher Education in 1960 to develop an efficient system of public education. Meanwhile, attracted to the mild Mediterranean climate, cheap land, and the state's variety of geography, filmmakers established the studio system in Hollywood in the 1920s. California manufactured 9% of US armaments produced during World War II , ranking third behind New York and Michigan . California easily ranked first in production of military ships at drydock facilities in San Diego, Los Angeles, and

2128-840: The Federal Trade Commission for the impending Ahold/Delhaize merger. The store was rebranded under the Acme banner in September 2016. Acme is the third-largest food and drug retailer in the Delaware Valley, where it competes with such chains as Ahold 's Giant-Carlisle , Giant-Landover , Food Lion , and Stop & Shop ; Wakefern Food Corporation 's ShopRite ; Walmart and its warehouse club subsidiary Sam's Club ; BJ's ; Costco ; natural/organic products retailer Whole Foods Market ; Wegmans Food Markets ; Trader Joe's and Aldi ; and various smaller chains. Acme

2240-472: The Federal Trade Commission to void the sale, claiming that a Lucky-Alpha Beta juggernaut would cost California consumers $ 400 million (~$ 889 million in 2023) by reducing competition. The Federal Trade Commission approved the merger and Van de Kamp then initiated a lawsuit against American Stores to stop it. In September 1988, a federal judge in Los Angeles issued a preliminary injunction against

2352-566: The Graham Affair , which was resolved in part with the intercession of Royal Navy officials. One of the largest ranchers in California was John Marsh . After failing to obtain justice against squatters on his land from the Mexican courts, he determined that California should become part of the United States. Marsh conducted a letter-writing campaign espousing the California climate, the soil, and other reasons to settle there, as well as

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2464-553: The Indigenous people of California had not yet developed a natural immunity. Under its new American administration, California's first governor Peter Hardeman Burnett instituted policies that have been described as a state-sanctioned policy of elimination of California's indigenous people. Burnett announced in 1851 in his Second Annual Message to the Legislature: "That a war of extermination will continue to be waged between

2576-566: The Mexican state of Baja California to the south. With nearly 39   million residents across an area of 163,696 square miles (423,970 km ), it is the most populous U.S. state, the third-largest by area, and most populated subnational entity in North America . Prior to European colonization , California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America . European exploration in

2688-1087: The Penn Traffic Company for $ 94 million. While making major divestments, American Stores also looked for opportunities to make strategic minor acquisitions to strengthen market share in key areas. In December 1991, American Drug Stores acquired 85 CVS Stores in California from the Melville Corporation . These stores converted to the Sav-on Drugs and Sav-on Express banners. Later that year, 30 Thrifty and Rx Plus drugstores in Arizona and Nevada were acquired. In May 1993, American Drug Stores announced its intention to purchase 110 Reliable Drug Stores in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri out of bankruptcy. These stores were soon re-bannered as Osco Drug stores. In August,

2800-616: The Presidio of San Diego , the first religious and military settlements founded by the Spanish in California. By the end of the expedition in 1770, they would establish the Presidio of Monterey and Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo on Monterey Bay. After the Portolà expedition, Spanish missionaries led by Father-President Serra set out to establish 21 Spanish missions of California along El Camino Real ("The Royal Road") and along

2912-716: The Route 66 . From 1900 to 1965, the population grew from fewer than one million to the greatest in the Union. In 1940, the Census Bureau reported California's population as 6% Hispanic, 2.4% Asian, and 90% non-Hispanic white. To meet the population's needs, engineering feats like the California and Los Angeles Aqueducts ; the Oroville and Shasta Dams ; and the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges were built. The state government adopted

3024-706: The Star Market grocery division was sold to Investcorp Bank for $ 285 million. The chain was fifth in market share in the Greater Boston area and has 33 food stores in Massachusetts and Rhode Island at the time. American Stores deemed Star Market expendable because the company wanted to focus on markets where it held first or second place in market share. In January 1995, the company sold 45 Acme Markets located in New York and northern Pennsylvania to

3136-527: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (February 2, 1848) that ended the war, the westernmost portion of the annexed Mexican territory of Alta California soon became the American state of California, and the remainder of the old territory was then subdivided into the new American Territories of Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah . The even more lightly populated and arid lower region of old Baja California remained as

3248-673: The coast of California were the members of a Spanish maritime expedition led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542. Cabrillo was commissioned by Antonio de Mendoza , the Viceroy of New Spain , to lead an expedition up the Pacific coast in search of trade opportunities; they entered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542, and reached at least as far north as San Miguel Island . Privateer and explorer Francis Drake explored and claimed an undefined portion of

3360-544: The 16th and 17th centuries led to the colonization by the Spanish Empire . The area became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its successful war for independence , but was ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War . The California gold rush started in 1848 and led to social and demographic changes, including depopulation of Indigenous tribes. The western portion of Alta California

3472-513: The 18th century. The Portolá expedition of 1769–70 was a pivotal event in the Spanish colonization of California, resulting in the establishment of numerous missions, presidios , and pueblos . The military and civil contingent of the expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá , who traveled over land from Sonora into California, while the religious component was headed by Junípero Serra , who came by sea from Baja California . In 1769, Portolá and Serra established Mission San Diego de Alcalá and

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3584-738: The 1980s, American Stores undertook various acquisitions (including Chicago metropolitan area chain Jewel Food Stores ) which ran the Jewel-T chain; it operated in many former urban Acme buildings. In 1995, Acme sold 45 stores in northeastern Pennsylvania to Penn Traffic . American Stores was acquired by major Western and Southern chain Albertsons in November 1999. In 2006, Albertsons' supermarket holdings were bought by Cerberus Capital Management and SuperValu and divided between

3696-491: The 1992 Rodney King riots. California was the hub of the Black Panther Party , known for arming African Americans to defend against racial injustice. Mexican, Filipino, and other migrant farm workers rallied in the state around Cesar Chavez for better pay in the 1960s and 70s. During the 20th century, two great disasters happened: the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and 1928 St. Francis Dam flood remain

3808-403: The 21st century, droughts and frequent wildfires attributed to climate change have occurred. From 2011 to 2017, a persistent drought was the worst in its recorded history. The 2018 wildfire season was the state's deadliest and most destructive. One of the first confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States occurred in California on January 26, 2020. A state of emergency was declared in

3920-516: The American Stores Company name, it was controlled by Skaggs management headed by Leonard S. Skaggs Jr. more familiarly known as Sam Skaggs . Stores in several markets having both an Alpha Beta supermarket and a Skaggs Drug Center were combined (or expanded) to combination food and drug stores and re-branded Skaggs Alpha Beta. American Stores posted $ 83 million in earnings on sales of nearly $ 8 billion in 1983. But its presence

4032-747: The American Stores Company purchased 305 grocery and meat stores in northern New Jersey from the United States Stores Corporation. In 1946, a proposed acquisition of Grand Union supermarkets was turned down by Grand Union stockholders. In 1961, American Stores company acquired California 's Alpha Beta chain of supermarkets. In the 1970s, in order to compete with lower priced grocery retailers such as ShopRite and Pathmark (competitors which did not offer trading stamps ), Acme Markets launched its Super Saver discount grocery chain in Pennsylvania . American Stores itself

4144-522: The California coast in 1579, landing north of the future city of San Francisco . The first Asians to set foot on what would be the United States occurred in 1587, when Filipino sailors arrived in Spanish ships at Morro Bay . Coincidentally the descendants of the Muslim Caliph Hasan ibn Ali in formerly Islamic Manila and had converted, then mixed Christianity with Islam, upon Spanish conquest, transited through California (Named after

4256-526: The California coast, 16 sites of which having been chosen during the Portolá expedition. Numerous major cities in California grew out of missions, including San Francisco ( Mission San Francisco de Asís ), San Diego ( Mission San Diego de Alcalá ), Ventura ( Mission San Buenaventura ), or Santa Barbara ( Mission Santa Barbara ), among others. Juan Bautista de Anza led a similarly important expedition throughout California in 1775–76, which would extend deeper into

4368-534: The California government in 2022. These groups were also diverse in their political organization, with bands, tribes, villages, and, on the resource-rich coasts, large chiefdoms , such as the Chumash , Pomo and Salinan . Trade, intermarriage, craft specialists, and military alliances fostered social and economic relationships between many groups. Although nations would sometimes war, most armed conflicts were between groups of men for vengeance . Acquiring territory

4480-443: The California state government paid around 1.5   million dollars (some 250,000 of which was reimbursed by the federal government) to hire militias with the stated purpose of protecting settlers, however these militias perpetrated numerous massacres of indigenous people. Indigenous people were also forcibly moved to reservations and rancherias, which were often small and isolated and without enough natural resources or funding from

4592-841: The Jewel Companies, Inc. consisted of the Illinois-based Jewel Food Stores supermarket chain and Osco Drug, Inc. , Massachusetts-based Star Market , California-based Sav-on Drugs , Montana-based Buttrey Food Stores , and White Hen . The Osco Drug and Sav-on Drugs chains were previously founded by the Skaggs family. This merger added 193 supermarkets, 358 drugstores, 140 combination food and drug stores, 301 convenience stores, and 132 discount stores to American Stores' holdings. The company found itself in legal trouble through its new subsidiary. A salmonella food-poisoning outbreak affecting some 20,000 people in

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4704-681: The Lucky stores under the Albertsons name because both chains had stores and overlap in northern and southern California. (The Lucky brand would be revived in 2006 by SuperValu ). California California is a state in the Western United States , lying on the American Pacific Coast . It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with

4816-768: The Philadelphia franchise rights to the then fast-growing restaurant chain Pizza Hut in 1968. Acme would also acquire a number of stores from Kmart Foods (as did A&P, Safeway, and Kroger); however, in the late 1970s, many recently closed 1950s-era supermarkets in Philadelphia and close suburbs were reopened as independents IGA or Thriftway/Shop 'n Bag. Starting in the 1980s, these independents were overtaken by family chains Genuardi's (later acquired by Safeway and now defunct) and Clemens (also defunct) along with Giant-Carlisle and Giant-Landover in newer suburbs, and modernized Acme, Super Fresh , and Pathmark stores in

4928-624: The San Francisco Bay Area. Due to the hiring opportunities California offered during the conflict, the population multiplied from the immigration it received due to the work in its war factories, military bases, and training facilities. After World War II, California's economy expanded due to strong aerospace and defense industries, whose size decreased following the end of the Cold War . Stanford University began encouraging faculty and graduates to stay instead of leaving

5040-563: The Southeast after an absence of nearly two decades. Mark S. Skaggs, son of L.S. Skaggs, was president of the new Jewel-Osco of Florida division. This was a wholly separate division of the company and was not part of the Jewel Food Stores chain in the midwest or the Osco/American Drug Stores subsidiary. Unlike the combination stores in the midwest, where Jewel ran the food side of the combination stores and Osco ran

5152-497: The U.S. Army. In the 20th century, thousands of Japanese people migrated to California. The state in 1913 passed the Alien Land Act , excluding Asian immigrants from owning land. During World War II, Japanese Americans in California were interned in concentration camps; in 2020, California apologized. Migration to California accelerated during the early 20th century with the completion of transcontinental highways like

5264-454: The Union . However, due to the existence of a large contingent of pro-South sympathizers within the state, the state was not able to muster any full military regiments to send eastwards to officially serve in the Union war effort. Still, several smaller military units within the Union army, such as the "California 100 Company" , were unofficially associated with the state of California due to a majority of their members being from California. At

5376-454: The best land in the state, were secularized by 1834 and became the property of the Mexican government. The governor granted many square leagues of land to others with political influence. These huge ranchos or cattle ranches emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican California. The ranchos developed under ownership by Californios (Hispanics native of California) who traded cowhides and tallow with Boston merchants. Beef did not become

5488-464: The best route to follow, which became known as "Marsh's route". His letters were read, reread, passed around, and printed in newspapers throughout the country, and started the first wagon trains rolling to California. After ushering in the period of organized emigration to California, Marsh became involved in a military battle between the much-hated Mexican general, Manuel Micheltorena and the California governor he had replaced, Juan Bautista Alvarado. At

5600-544: The buyer or terms of the sale. In 1989, Kash n' Karry was acquired by its management from American Stores for $ 305 million (~$ 652 million in 2023). American Stores also sold the minority interest in Eagle Food Centers that it had acquired from Lucky and sold it to New York-based Odyssey Partners. American Stores relocated its corporate headquarters from Salt Lake City to Irvine, California , in July 1988. At

5712-484: The chain 645 stores nationwide. The name 'Osco' did not resonate well with Sav-on's southern California customer base. By 1989, American Stores had made the decision to change the former Sav-on stores back to their original name. Rumors at the time claimed the reason was that 'Osco' has the same pronunciation as the Spanish word 'asco' (oss-ko), which means disgust or loathing, a considerable factor within southern California ’s heavily Hispanic market. This explanation for

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5824-413: The chain was renamed to Super Saver Food . The stores had to be swiftly renamed the night before grand openings, with the word "Price" marked out on every label, tag, and sign in the store. Super Saver Food was a familiar brand which had been used in the 1970s and early 1980s by Acme for their discount grocery store format in Pennsylvania and was a trademark still owned by American Stores. In 1997,

5936-430: The city and older suburbs not long after. From 1978 to 1982, Acme acquired many stores during Food Fair's bankruptcy, including both ex-Food Fair (by then known as discount grocer Pantry Pride) and Penn Fruit units. The bulk of these dated to the 1950s. The former Food Fair/Pantry Pride stores were replaced by or remodeled into stores with the standard Acme prototype of the 1970s, as were many expanded A-Frame buildings and

6048-498: The company also bought the last four Thrifty drug stores in Nevada. In December 1994, American spent about $ 37 million for 17 Clark Drug stores in southern California, which were then converted to the Sav-on Drugs name. American Stores had long been run as a decentralized holding company , but in order to compete in the fierce retail environment of the 1990s the company announced its so-called Delta Plan in 1992 to transform itself into an integrated operating company. The overall goal

6160-401: The company and a seat on the board. In June 1996, Skaggs made it known to the SEC and he would be looking into selling his stock in the company, leading to speculation about a possible breakup or sale of American Stores. It was uncertain if Skaggs’ intention was to launch a proxy fight for control of American Stores or to alter its current management or direction. By February 1997, an agreement

6272-418: The company continued to operate these subsidiaries, investment in remodeling and new construction for these stores and for Acme Markets was minimal throughout the 1980s. By 1987, American Stores Company was the largest drug retailer in the United States, but only the third-largest grocery retailer and underperforming its peers. In October 1987, the company exited the Idaho and Washington drugstore markets with

6384-420: The company in 1966 and again in 1978. To help raise cash for the deal, American Stores sold its Rea and Derick, Inc . subsidiary of 134 drugstores in December 1984 to People's Drug , a division of Imasco Limited. It also sold 33 Alpha Beta grocery stores in Arizona sold to ABCO Foods . Another 22 Alpha Beta grocery stores and support facilities in northern California were also sold. The acquisition of

6496-488: The company opened Kap's Kitchen and Pantry in Salt Lake City, Utah , a prototype for entry into the high end food retail market with selections of natural and organic products, produce, seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery and prepared foods. The venture was quickly abandoned and the store was closed within a year. In 1995, 72-year-old L.S. Skaggs relinquished the chairmanship of American Stores to president and CEO Victor L. Lund. Skaggs still held an 18.3 percent stake in

6608-421: The conquest include the Battle of San Pasqual and the Battle of Dominguez Rancho in Southern California, as well as the Battle of Olómpali and the Battle of Santa Clara in Northern California. After a series of defensive battles in the south, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed by the Californios on January 13, 1847, securing a censure and establishing de facto American control in California. Following

6720-535: The deadliest in U.S. history. Although air pollution has been reduced, health problems associated with pollution continue. Brown haze known as " smog " has been substantially abated after federal and state restrictions on automobile exhaust. An energy crisis in 2001 led to rolling blackouts , soaring power rates, and the importation of electricity from neighboring states. Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Company came under heavy criticism. Housing prices in urban areas continued to increase;

6832-449: The district court to lift the injunction as ordered by the Ninth Circuit. However, on August 22, 1989, Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor , in her capacity as Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit, issued an interlocutory order staying the Ninth Circuit's issuance of its mandate back to the district court, which kept the preliminary injunction in place. After oral argument on January 19, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of

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6944-433: The drug side, the Florida stores were run by a one overall manager, similar to the way a Skaggs Alpha Beta store was managed. Only six Jewel-Osco stores were opened in Florida and all were sold to Albertsons in 1992 as part of a $ 300 million deal to offload 74 stores and an Oklahoma distribution center. As a result, American left Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Florida. In 1989, a new subsidiary American Drug Stores, Inc.

7056-412: The early 1950s. In 1961, the American Stores company acquired southern California 's Alpha Beta chain of supermarkets. Many of Acme's stores in the 1960s and 1970s were paired with a regional drugstore chain, a PLCB liquor store (in Pennsylvania), a Kmart , or Woolco (earlier centers had a Woolworth ), and in rarer cases a department store such as Sears or JCPenney . American Stores also bought

7168-463: The food divisions were consolidated and moved from Salt Lake City to Albertsons ' headquarters in Boise . For a very short time after the American Stores acquisition was completed, Albertsons was the largest food/drug chain in the United States until Kroger's acquisition of Fred Meyer completed that fall. Albertsons preserved the Acme Markets, Jewel-Osco, Osco Drug and Sav-on Drugs namesakes. In November 1999, Albertsons announced it would rebrand

7280-520: The government to adequately sustain the populations living on them. As a result, settler colonialism was a calamity for indigenous people. Several scholars and Native American activists, including Benjamin Madley and Ed Castillo , have described the actions of the California government as a genocide , as well as the 40th governor of California Gavin Newsom . Benjamin Madley estimates that from 1846 to 1873, between 9,492 and 16,092 indigenous people were killed, including between 1,680 and 3,741 killed by

7392-411: The highest output of any U.S. state, and is led by its dairy , almonds , and grapes . With the busiest port in the country ( Los Angeles ), California plays a pivotal role in the global supply chain, hauling in about 40% of goods imported to the US. Notable contributions to popular culture , ranging from entertainment , sports , music , and fashion , have their origins in California. California

7504-410: The indigenous peoples developed complex forms of ecosystem management, including forest gardening to ensure the regular availability of food and medicinal plants . This was a form of sustainable agriculture . To mitigate destructive large wildfires from ravaging the natural environment, indigenous peoples developed a practice of controlled burning . This practice was recognized for its benefits by

7616-439: The interior and north of California. The Anza expedition selected numerous sites for missions, presidios, and pueblos, which subsequently would be established by settlers. Gabriel Moraga , a member of the expedition, would also christen many of California's prominent rivers with their names in 1775–1776, such as the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River . After the expedition, Gabriel's son, José Joaquín Moraga , would found

7728-469: The largest dam removal and river restoration project in US history was announced for the Klamath River , as a win for California tribes. Covering an area of 163,696 sq mi (423,970 km ), California is the third-largest state in the United States in area, after Alaska and Texas . California is one of the most geographically diverse states in the union and is often geographically bisected into two regions, Southern California , comprising

7840-502: The largest grocery retailer in the Delaware Valley , Acme fell to No. 2 behind ShopRite in 2011. As of 2013, Acme was No. 3 behind No. 1 ShopRite and No. 2 The Giant Company in the region. Irish immigrants , Samuel Robinson and Robert Crawford, founded what is now Acme in south Philadelphia in 1891. In 1917, Robinson and Crawford merged Acme Markets with four other Philadelphia-area grocery stores, including English immigrant S. Canning Childs New Jersey–based American grocery chain;

7952-400: The merger. At the same time, the FTC ordered the companies to divest 37 Alpha Beta and Lucky stores to appease antitrust concerns. American Stores appealed, and in April 1989, a Ninth Circuit panel in San Francisco overturned the injunction. Van de Kamp appealed this reversal to the U.S. Supreme Court . Meanwhile, American Stores continued to plan its integration of Lucky while it waited for

8064-844: The middle of the state lies the California Central Valley , bounded by the Sierra Nevada in the east, the coastal mountain ranges in the west, the Cascade Range to the north and by the Tehachapi Mountains in the south. The Central Valley is California's productive agricultural heartland. Divided in two by the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta , the northern portion, the Sacramento Valley serves as

8176-729: The midwest was traced to Jewel's Hillfarm Dairy that had supplied tainted milk to Jewel stores in March and April 1985. In 1987, Jewel was found not liable for punitive damages in Illinois Cook County Circuit Court but agreed to pay compensatory damages estimated at $ 35 to $ 40 million. In 1985, American Stores sold the White Hen chain, since convenience stores did not fit into the company's plans. Buttrey Food & Drug and Star Market were put up for sale in order to raise capital and pay down debt. Although

8288-408: The name change was refuted by American Stores. In March 1988, American Stores made an unsolicited tender offer for Lucky Stores , an Alpha Beta competitor noted for high efficiency and low prices. American Stores’ Alpha Beta chain in California was struggling, plagued by high prices and a reputation for poor service. At the time, Lucky was California's leading grocery retailer, due in part that it

8400-584: The new company was named American Stores . In 1927, smaller rival Penn Fruit began operating in Philadelphia's Center City . In the late 1920s, supermarkets under the American Stores banner rapidly sprouted throughout the Philadelphia region, rivaling New Jersey–based A&P , which then featured downtown stores throughout the East Coast, and as far west as New Orleans . American Stores first introduced self-service stores in shopping centers in

8512-414: The population of San Francisco increased from 500 to 150,000. The seat of government for California under Spanish and later Mexican rule had been located in Monterey from 1777 until 1845. Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of Alta California, had briefly moved the capital to Los Angeles in 1845. The United States consulate had also been located in Monterey, under consul Thomas O. Larkin . In 1849,

8624-680: The prime challenge for the company; doing so was mainly accomplished through asset sales. By the end of fiscal 1992, long term debt was down from $ 3.4 billion to $ 2.1 billion. In the early 1990s, American Stores divested several properties. In November 1990, 44 Buttrey Food & Drug stores located in Montana, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho, and North Dakota by a management-led $ 184 million leveraged buyout. In March 1991, American Stores approved selling 51 Osco Drug stores in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming sold to Pay Less Drug Stores , were sold in that time

8736-733: The pueblo of San Jose in 1777, making it the first civilian-established city in California. During this same period, sailors from the Russian Empire explored along the northern coast of California. In 1812, the Russian-American Company established a trading post and small fortification at Fort Ross on the North Coast . Fort Ross was primarily used to supply Russia's Alaskan colonies with food supplies. The settlement did not meet much success, failing to attract settlers or establish long term trade viability, and

8848-469: The races until the Indian race becomes extinct must be expected. While we cannot anticipate the result with but painful regret, the inevitable destiny of the race is beyond the power and wisdom of man to avert." As in other American states, indigenous peoples were forcibly removed from their lands by American settlers , like miners, ranchers, and farmers. Although California had entered the American union as

8960-403: The region known as California , or Las Californias , grew. Eventually it included lands north of the peninsula, Alta California , part of which became the present-day U.S. state of California. A 2017 state legislative document states, "Numerous theories exist as to the origin and meaning of the word 'California, ' " and that all anyone knows is the name was added to a map by 1541 "presumably by

9072-668: The sale of 25 Osco Drug units to Pay Less Drug Stores . Following the acquisition of Jewel, American Stores used the Osco Drugs name in its effort to build a nationwide network of pharmacies. In February 1985, it was announced that the Skaggs Drug Center stores located in the Northwest would be rebranded under the Osco name. In August 1986, the company's 184 Sav-on stores in California were also renamed Osco Drug, giving

9184-702: The state as part of the Gold Rush or to seek work. Even though the Chinese proved indispensable in building the transcontinental railroad from California to Utah, perceived job competition with the Chinese led to anti-Chinese riots in the state, and eventually the US ended migration from China partially as a response to pressure from California with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act . Under earlier Spanish and Mexican rule, California's original native population had precipitously declined, above all, from Eurasian diseases to which

9296-467: The state on April 30, 1990. Wishing to avoid additional lengthy litigation, the following month American Stores reached an agreement with Van de Kamp whereby the company was allowed to convert 14 Alpha Beta stores to the Lucky name but also had to sell 161 southern California stores (152 Alpha Beta stores and 9 Lucky stores) within five years. The deal put no restrictions on American Stores' future growth in California and did not require state approval of

9408-574: The state on March 4, 2020, and remained in effect until Governor Gavin Newsom ended it in February 2023. A mandatory statewide stay-at-home order was issued on March 19, 2020, which was ended in January 2021. Cultural and language revitalization efforts among indigenous Californians have progressed among tribes as of 2022. Some land returns to indigenous stewardship have occurred. In 2022,

9520-430: The state results in climates that vary from moist temperate rainforest in the north to arid desert in the interior, as well as snowy alpine in the mountains . Droughts and wildfires are an ongoing issue. California's economy is the largest of any U.S. state, with a $ 4.0 trillion gross state product as of 2024 . It is the largest sub-national economy in the world. California's agricultural industry has

9632-515: The state's demographics and its finances. Soon afterward, a massive influx of immigration into the area resulted, as prospectors and miners arrived by the thousands. The population burgeoned with United States citizens, Europeans, Middle Easterns, Chinese and other immigrants during the great California gold rush . By the time of California's application for statehood in 1850, the settler population of California had multiplied to 100,000. By 1854, more than 300,000 settlers had come. Between 1847 and 1870,

9744-522: The state's name include CA, Cal., Calif., Califas , and US-CA . California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America . Historians generally agree that there were at least 300,000 people living in California prior to European colonization. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct ethnic groups , inhabiting environments ranging from mountains and deserts to islands and redwood forests. Living in these diverse geographic areas,

9856-620: The state, and develop a high-tech region, now known as Silicon Valley . As a result of this, California is a world center of the entertainment and music industries, of technology, engineering, and the aerospace industry, and as the US center of agricultural production. Just before the Dot Com Bust , California had the fifth-largest economy in the world. In the mid and late twentieth century, race-related incidents occurred. Tensions between police and African Americans, combined with unemployment and poverty in inner cities, led to riots, such as

9968-511: The ten southernmost counties, and Northern California , comprising the 48 northernmost counties. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east and northeast, Arizona to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south (with which it makes up part of The Californias region of North America , alongside Baja California Sur ). In

10080-407: The time of California's admission into the Union, travel between California and the rest of the continental United States had been a time-consuming and dangerous feat. Nineteen years later, and seven years after it was greenlighted by President Lincoln, the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. California was then reachable from the eastern States in a week's time. Much of the state

10192-493: The time, the company indicated the reason for the move was to place the headquarters in one of the company's major operating market areas and therefore closer to its business interests. However, the corporate headquarters was moved back to Salt Lake City in 1989 with little explanation. On March 16, 1989, the company opened a 75,000-square-foot Jewel-Osco combination store in Largo, Florida . This marked American Stores’ re-entry into

10304-715: The time, was the largest retail divestiture ever required by the FTC. Due to the mandated sale of stores, the acquisition took nearly a year to complete. In June 1999, the acquisition was complete, ASC was de-listed on the New York Stock Exchange and American Stores ceased to exist. The combined company consisted of 2,400 food and drug stores located in 38 states. During 1999, the drugstore operations division and general merchandise procurement functions were moved from Salt Lake City to Scottsdale, Arizona , operating as Albertsons Drug Region. The functions which supported

10416-570: The transition from Spanish colonial rule to independent Mexican rule. In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence gave the Mexican Empire (which included California) independence from Spain. For the next 25 years, Alta California remained a remote, sparsely populated, northwestern administrative district of the newly independent country of Mexico, which shortly after independence became a republic. The missions , which controlled most of

10528-477: The two companies, with Acme going to SuperValu. In 2013 Cerberus, which was operating the Albertsons stores it owned under the name Albertsons LLC, agreed to purchase Acme from SuperValu. In July 2016, it was announced that Albertsons had entered into a purchase agreement with Ahold and Delhaize Group to replace a Giant store in Salisbury, Maryland as part of the divestiture of stores to gain clearance from

10640-685: The watershed of the Sacramento River , while the southern portion, the San Joaquin Valley is the watershed for the San Joaquin River . Both valleys derive their names from the rivers that flow through them. With dredging, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin Rivers have remained deep enough for several inland cities to be seaports . Acme Markets Acme Markets Inc. (stylized as ACME Markets )

10752-544: Was abandoned by 1841. During the War of Mexican Independence , Alta California was largely unaffected and uninvolved in the revolution, though many Californios supported independence from Spain , which many believed had neglected California and limited its development. Spain's trade monopoly on California had limited local trade prospects. Following Mexican independence, California ports were freely able to trade with foreign merchants. Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá presided over

10864-465: Was acquired in 1979 by the Skaggs Companies, Inc. , which adopted the American Stores Company name, and relocated the company headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah . American Stores was by far the larger organization, with 758 supermarkets, 139 drugstores, 53 restaurants, and 9 general merchandise stores in nine states when compared to the 241 Skaggs stores. Although the resulting entity bore

10976-539: Was announced that Albertsons would acquire American Stores for $ 11.7 billion (~$ 20.4 billion in 2023). The FTC challenged the acquisition, challenging that it would substantially lessen supermarket competition in California, Nevada, and New Mexico, resulting in higher prices or reduced quality and selection for consumers. As a condition of the sale, Albertsons' and American Stores agreed to sell 144 supermarkets (104 Albertson's supermarkets, 40 American Stores' Lucky supermarkets) in 57 markets. The divestiture agreement, at

11088-552: Was extremely well suited to fruit cultivation and agriculture in general. Vast expanses of wheat, other cereal crops, vegetable crops, cotton, and nut and fruit trees were grown (including oranges in Southern California), and the foundation was laid for the state's prodigious agricultural production in the Central Valley and elsewhere. In the nineteenth century, a large number of migrants from China traveled to

11200-483: Was formed and consisted of American Stores drugstore holdings of Osco Drug , Sav-on Drugs, and the Osco side of the Jewel-Osco food-drug combination stores. In 1997, American Drug Stores and Longs Drugs merged their pharmacy benefit managers to create RxAmerica. Each company held 50% ownership of the new entity. By 2001, Longs acquired full control. In the early 1990s, reducing the $ 3.4 billion in debt load became

11312-607: Was highly unstable, and in a reflection of this, from 1831 onwards, California also experienced a series of armed disputes, both internal and with the central Mexican government. During this tumultuous political period Juan Bautista Alvarado was able to secure the governorship during 1836–1842. The military action which first brought Alvarado to power had momentarily declared California to be an independent state, and had been aided by Anglo-American residents of California, including Isaac Graham . In 1840, one hundred of those residents who did not have passports were arrested, leading to

11424-529: Was introduced. This also involved the consolidation of central support organizations for store operations. At the same time, American Stores focused on opening new stores over acquisitions. This ambitious plan to create better efficiencies won a lot of support from investors. From 1992 up through 1998, American Stores consolidated operations and moved major responsibilities of its subsidiaries to its new headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah . By August 1998,

11536-714: Was not usually the purpose of these small-scale battles. Men and women generally had different roles in society. Women were often responsible for weaving, harvesting, processing, and preparing food, while men for hunting and other forms of physical labor. Most societies also had roles for people whom the Spanish referred to as joyas , who they saw as "men who dressed as women". Joyas were responsible for death , burial , and mourning rituals , and they performed women's social roles. Indigenous societies had terms such as two-spirit to refer to them. The Chumash referred to them as 'aqi. The early Spanish settlers detested and sought to eliminate them. The first Europeans to explore

11648-590: Was on track to become the largest supermarket chain in the United States, over the Kroger and Safeway chains. The acquisition included then Dublin, California -based Lucky Stores, with stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona; Tampa-based Kash n' Karry , with stores in Florida; and a minority interest in Milan, Illinois -based Eagle Food Centers . In August 1988, California Attorney General John Van de Kamp asked

11760-441: Was reached between American Stores and Skaggs whereby the company would repurchase about 12.2 million of Skaggs's shares for $ 550 million (~$ 970 million in 2023). The remaining shares were subsequently sold to the public through a secondary offering. This purchase reduced Skaggs’ stake in the company to five percent, insufficient ownership for him and his family members to retain seats on the company's board. On August 3, 1998 it

11872-571: Was retired in the 1980s, only to be resurrected in the 1990s in the West . Some isolated stores retained the signage into the early 1990s, however. American Stores were sold in 1979 to the Skaggs Companies which took the American Stores name, moving its headquarters to Salt Lake City . Also in 1979, American Stores announced that it would be closing most of its stores in New York state. In

11984-502: Was short-lived; the same year marked the outbreak of the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). Commodore John D. Sloat of the United States Navy sailed into Monterey Bay in 1846 and began the U.S. military invasion of California , with Northern California capitulating in less than a month to the United States forces. In Southern California, Californios continued to resist American forces. Notable military engagements of

12096-409: Was still weak in the midwest, New England, and Florida. To help overcome these remaining geographical shortcomings, the company made TIn June 1984, American Stores acquired Jewel Companies, Inc. for $ 1.1 billion. L. S. Skaggs would be chairman and CEO of the combined company, while Jewel chairman Weston Christopherson and other executives were forced out. Skaggs had previously discussed a merger with

12208-468: Was the only chain with a significant presence in both northern California and southern California . Lucky refused American Stores' first offer. Within a month, American Stores proposed to up its bid if Lucky would agree to a friendly takeover. Again Lucky management rejected the offer as inadequate and was said to be contemplating defensive strategies. Later, American Stores upped its bid to $ 2.5 billion, or $ 65 per share. Lucky accepted and American Stores

12320-564: Was the regional sales leader in the Philadelphia area for decades, and only lost its lead to ShopRite in 2011. Acme offers online grocery shopping for orders that can be picked up at the store. Before 2009, Acme also delivered to customers through online orders. In 2004, Acme introduced self-checkout stands, where shoppers could scan and bag their own groceries; however, many stores (including acquired stores - see below) have had their self-checkouts removed in an effort to expand customer service. In 2008, many Acme stores began adding hot food bars to

12432-399: Was then organized and admitted as the 31st state in 1850 , as a free state , following the Compromise of 1850 . The Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions , with 19 million and 10 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is the state's most populous city and the nation's second-most ; California's capital

12544-518: Was to turn American Stores into a more profitable national supermarket company with greater shareholder value by centralizing its buying operations, as well as putting together more food and drugstore combination stores. As part of this transition, the company also began to centralize company-wide its procurement, warehousing, inventory control, distribution, marketing, payroll, and human resources operations. Previously, each division had its own procurement and inventory systems, so one standardized solution

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