Fred G. Meyer (February 21, 1886 – September 2, 1978)
["Fred Meyer, Retail Empire Builder, Dies at 92" (September 3, 1978). '']The Sunday Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...
'', p. 1. was an American businessman who founded the
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
-based
Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer is an American chain of hypermarket superstores founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, USA, by Fred G. Meyer. The stores are found in the northwest U.S., within the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska. The company merged w ...
store chain, which had 63 stores in 4 western states at the time of his death.
He was known for successfully introducing several innovative marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
concepts.["Meyer Noted for Market Innovations" (September 3, 1978). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', p. D10.]
Early life
Born Fritz Grubmeyer in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in 1886, Meyer came to the United States with his parents and older brother, William, in 1889. The family settled in Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where Meyer later worked in his father's grocery store. Meyer completed his education up to fifth grade before ceasing attending school.
Career
Leaving home at the age of 19, he traveled through the American West, prospecting for gold near Nome, Alaska
Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...
. Relocating to Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
in 1906, Meyer worked for a small grocery and the Grand Union Tea Company until 1909, when he moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
.
In 1910, Meyer's brother William and his family moved to Portland. William and Fred managed the Mission Tea Company, which rented a stall at the City Public Market. Thereafter, Fred established a separate business using horse-drawn wagons to deliver coffee, tea, and spices to Portland residents and groceries to nearby logging camps and farms.[" 'Horatio Alger' Epic: Fred Meyer Career Oregon Legend" (September 3, 1978). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', pp. D10–D11.] By 1911, Meyer was managing Mission Tea, and after a dispute with William, he acquired a new partner and renamed the business the Java Coffee Company. Sometime after arriving in Portland, Frederick Grubmeyer shortened his name to Fred G. Meyer; a 2001 '' Oregonian'' article said the change was made "for convenience and maybe to save money on signs".[
In 1922, he joined forces with his brother Henry, who had also moved to Portland. Together over the next few years they incorporated four businesses, including Mybros Meat Market, Oregon ]Piggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly is an American supermarket chain operating in the American Southern and Midwestern regions run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers. Its first outlet opened in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is notable f ...
, Pioneer Market Company (which leased space to vendors), and Mybros Inc., all in downtown Portland. Differences of opinion between the brothers led to Henry's departure from the partnership,[ and over time, Meyer expanded Mybros into the ]Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer is an American chain of hypermarket superstores founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, USA, by Fred G. Meyer. The stores are found in the northwest U.S., within the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska. The company merged w ...
chain of supermarket
A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...
s and department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
s.[ A "self-service drugstore" that Meyer opened in 1928 in downtown Portland was considered the first of its kind in the nation.][
Meyer introduced innovative ]marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
concepts; he is often credited as one of the originators of the "one-stop shopping" concept, when in 1931, he built the Hollywood Fred Meyer,[ his first full-block ]megastore
A big-box store (also hyperstore, supercenter, superstore, or megastore) is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The te ...
on Northeast Sandy Boulevard at 42nd Avenue in Portland (now a Rite Aid
Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. The company ranked No. 148 in the Fortune 500 lis ...
since the store's relocation to Hollywood West in 1988).
Meyer's wife, Eva Mayer, died in 1960. Their marriage had lasted 40 years.[ Eva Meyer was also secretary-treasurer of Fred Meyer Inc. until her death.][ The couple had no children together, but Eva had one son from a previous marriage, Earle A. Chiles (namesake of the ]Chiles Center
The Earle A. & Virginia H. Chiles Center is a 4,852-seat multi-purpose arena in Portland, Oregon, USA. The arena opened in 1984. It is home to the University of Portland Pilots men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball t ...
), who also worked as an officer of the company.[
Meyer was opposed to ]zoning
Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...
, specifically naming the model of Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, as a successful example. He continued to work regularly until his death, even after suffering a major stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
in 1972.[ In 1974, his company expanded into the ]savings and loan
Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an I ...
business with the establishment of Fred Meyer Savings & Loan, which had 29 locations (in Fred Meyer stores) by 1978.[ He was named Portland's "First Citizen" in 1976.][
]
Death
Meyer died on September 2, 1978, at the age of 92, at his Portland home. He died in his sleep, but had been dealing with chronic heart disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...
and breathing difficulties in his last few years.[ In its obituary, Portland's '']The Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...
'' described Meyer as "the venerable merchant whose name and shopping-center empire have been linked for almost 70 years with the city's growth".[ Oregon Governor ]Bob Straub
Robert William Straub (May 6, 1920 – November 27, 2002) was an American politician and businessman from the state of Oregon. A native of San Francisco, California, he settled in Eugene, Oregon, where he entered politics. A Democratic politicia ...
was quoted as saying, "Oregon has lost one of its great citizens."[
]
Philanthropy
Although known for living frugally, Meyer gave to many charities, in particular the Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
, and became known for his philanthropy.[ Upon his death, his stock in Fred Meyer established the Meyer Memorial Trust, leaving behind $60 million to be used for "religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes."] He was cremated, and his remains were scattered in the Salmon River near Wemme on Mount Hood
Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portlan ...
.
The Meyer Memorial Trust is distinct from the Fred Meyer Fund, controlled by Kroger
The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States.
Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincin ...
, which now owns Fred Meyer Stores.
Notes
References
Works cited
*
External links
Fred Meyer
Company Website
*
*
Fred Meyer Story
- Oregon History Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Fred G.
1886 births
1978 deaths
American businesspeople in retailing
American grocers
Businesspeople from New York City
Businesspeople from Oregon
American people of German descent
Kroger
20th-century American businesspeople