The Kroger Co., or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company operates 2,719 grocery stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Its store formats include 134 multi-department stores, 2,273 combo stores, 191 marketplace stores, and 121 price-impact warehouse stores. Kroger operates 33 manufacturing plants, 1,642 supermarket fuel centers, 2,254 pharmacies, 225 The Little Clinic in-store medical clinics, and 127 jewelry stores. Kroger's headquarters are located in downtown Cincinnati. The Kroger Company is the largest supermarket operator in the U.S. by revenue and the country's fifth-largest general retailer. The company is one of the largest American-owned private employers in the United States. Additionally, Kroger is ranked No. 25 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue. Some sources list the company as a dividend-paying stock. Wikipedia