What is the biggest supermarket chain in the U.S.?

The biggest supermarket chain in the U.S. is Kroger Co. Founded by Bernard Kroger in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1883, the company grew from a single grocery store into a large food-and-drug retail organization operating under numerous banners.

Kroger's family of stores has included names such as Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Smith's, Harris Teeter, and Mariano's. That banner structure can make the company seem smaller than it is because many shoppers encounter a regional name rather than a storefront labeled simply “Kroger.” The company has historically operated thousands of supermarkets across dozens of states.

Walmart is the largest U.S. retailer and the country's largest grocery seller by broad food-sales measures, but it is primarily a general merchandise and supercenter company rather than a traditional supermarket chain. That distinction explains why Kroger is the standard answer to this wording. Albertsons, Publix, Aldi, and Ahold Delhaize are also major grocery operators, but Kroger is the conventional answer for the largest traditional supermarket chain.