Hughes Markets

This article is about the American grocery chain. For the English football club abbreviated QFC, see Quorn F.C..

Quality Food Centers, Inc.

File:QFC logo.svg
Trade name	QFC
Formerly	Lake Hills Thriftway (1955–1963)
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Grocery retail
Founded	November 26, 1955 (1955-11-26) in Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Founder	Jack Croco
Headquarters	Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
Number of locations	62 (2021)
Area served	Washington and Oregon
Key people	Christopher A. Sinclair (chairman & CEO)
Products	Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, gasoline, general grocery, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks
Revenue	Increase $1 billion (2021)
Number of employees	5,900 (2021)
Parent	Kroger
Website	www.qfc.com

Quality Food Centers, Inc., commonly referred to as QFC, is a supermarket chain headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, located just east of Seattle. Operating as a subsidiary of Kroger, the company manages 62 outlets primarily situated throughout western Washington and northwestern Oregon, focusing on the Puget Sound region and the Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area.

History

Jack Croco entered the grocery industry during the 1940s in Boise, Idaho, initially working for Albertsons. By 1950, he had risen to district manager for the Northwest region and played a key role in launching Albertson's inaugural stores around the Seattle vicinity. In 1955, Croco established his own supermarket in Bellevue under the name Lake Hills Thriftway.Template:Fix/category

The enterprise that evolved into QFC was founded in 1955 with its first location at 6600 Roosevelt Way N.E. in Seattle. This venture was led by Vern Fortin, who had previously served as president of Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries and was the founder of Vernell's Fine Candies. In 1960, Croco merged his Lake Hills Thriftway store with this emerging chain and remained actively involved until his passing in 1991 at age 65. However, Croco sold QFC in 1986 to Seattle-based investment firm Sloan, Adkins & Co., which subsequently took the company public in 1987.

In 1996, Christopher A. Sinclair assumed the role of CEO. The next year saw QFC acquire Uddenberg grocery company, which operated Thriftway and Stock Market stores across western Washington.Template:Fix/category Late in 1997, ownership of QFC transferred to Portland-based Fred Meyer, and by May 1998 Kroger announced plans to purchase Fred Meyer along with QFC. This acquisition was finalized a year later. The Roosevelt Way store remained operational until May 5, 2012, when it closed to allow construction of the nearby Roosevelt light rail station.

In 2004, a Fred Meyer location at Seattle’s Capitol Hill Broadway Market was replaced by a QFC store.

Expansion

File:QFC Flagship Store.png

QFC's premier store situated in Kirkland, Washington

QFC has pursued a strategy of rapid growth primarily through acquisitions over the decades. Following A&P's exit from the Seattle market in 1974, QFC assumed control of multiple former A&P outlets. The 1990s saw QFC broaden its footprint into neighboring counties by acquiring and rebranding several grocery chains, including Olson's Food Stores, Johnny's Food Centers, Stock Market Grocery Stores, and various Thriftway outlets. Between 1990 and 1996 alone, the company absorbed thirty stores from eleven independent grocery operators. Among these was Olson's Foods, a Lynnwood-based chain with twelve operational stores and four additional locations under development. In 1997, acquisitions included Reed's Super Valu in Port Hadlock and Stock Market Foods in Port Townsend, while the company also extended its reach into Oregon’s Portland metropolitan area.

During CEO Stuart Sloan's leadership in the 1980s, QFC positioned itself as an upscale grocery chain, emphasizing higher-end products. The company went public with an initial public offering in 1987. In the mid-1990s, QFC entered the Southern California market by purchasing Hughes Family Markets, which retained its original branding. However, many Hughes locations were subsequently sold to Ralphs, which itself was later acquired by Fred Meyer and eventually became part of Kroger. A flagship location spanning 50,000 square feet (4,600 m²) was inaugurated in downtown Kirkland in 2019. Although a rebranding effort to "the Q" was suggested in 2018, it did not come to fruition.

In 2022, Kroger proposed acquiring competitor Albertsons, a deal that would have necessitated divestitures to maintain market competition. Under this plan, nearly all but five of QFC's 59 stores would have been sold off. However, the Federal Trade Commission rejected the merger in 2024, ensuring that QFC remains under Kroger’s ownership.

Philanthropy and labor relations

In 1996, Stuart Sloan, who formerly served as owner and chairman of QFC, committed to investing a minimum of $1 million annually over an eight-year span to revitalize T.T. Minor Elementary, one of the most underperforming schools within Seattle Public Schools. These contributions supplemented existing public funding and supported initiatives such as implementing school uniforms, reducing class sizes, and adopting a year-round academic calendar. However, the allocation of these resources generated debate.

Employees at Fred Meyer and QFC are predominantly represented by UFCW Local 3000. In 2020, after the union distributed Black Lives Matter pins to workers, Kroger management prohibited staff from wearing them during work hours. This restriction was ruled by a National Labor Relations Board judge in May 2023 to be a violation of federal labor regulations.