King Kullen
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Supermarket |
| Founded | August 4, 1930 in Queens, New York, United States |
| Founder | Michael J. Cullen |
| Headquarters | Hauppauge, New York , United States |
Area served | Long Island, New York |
Key people | Joseph Brown (President and COO) |
| Products | Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks |
Number of employees | 5000 (2019) |
King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. is a supermarket chain based in the United States, with its main office located in Hauppauge, New York. Established by businessman Michael J. Cullen on August 4, 1930, the company managed 27 stores throughout Long Island as of 2021.
History
Michael J. Cullen, formerly a branch manager at Kroger responsible for overseeing 94 stores, envisioned a new supermarket model emphasizing affordable prices, cash-only transactions, and customer self-service in spacious, low-cost locations featuring ample parking. After Kroger rejected this concept, Cullen left the company and inaugurated King Kullen in a rented garage at 171-06 Jamaica Avenue in Queens, New York. Opening on August 4, 1930, this store was among the first to implement a supermarket approach focused on high volume and operational efficiency to increase profitability.
Within two years of its inception, King Kullen had grown to eight stores generating $2.9 million in revenue. Six years later, the chain expanded to 15 outlets; by 1952, it operated 30 stores sized between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet. Throughout the mid-1900s, King Kullen introduced several advancements including shopping carts (1937), conveyor systems, air conditioning, automatic doors, tiled flooring, and background music inside stores. The company broadened its inventory during the 1960s by incorporating non-food merchandise.
Expansion continued through acquisitions such as the purchase of Blue Jay Markets—a nine-store chain in Suffolk County—in 1966 and Hinsch Produce Co. in 1969. The addition of in-store bakeries came in 1982 to diversify product offerings.
Following Michael Cullen’s passing in 1936, leadership passed to his widow Nan along with their sons James A. and John B. Cullen. The family has preserved ownership and operational leadership across generations, employing around 5,000 people as of 2019.
In 1995, King Kullen introduced Wild by Nature, an independent division dedicated to natural and organic goods with four locations.
A proposed acquisition by Stop & Shop (Ahold Delhaize) announced in January 2019 included King Kullen’s portfolio of 32 stores plus five Wild by Nature outlets but was canceled in June 2020 due to shifts in market conditions, ensuring King Kullen remained independently operated.
King Kullen’s core strategy focuses on serving the Long Island community with traditional grocery categories such as bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, and snacks. Under President and COO Joseph Brown in 2006, the company reported revenues near US$800 million.
The Cullen family continues to apply strategic management to sustain King Kullen’s position as a competitive regional grocer deeply rooted in local markets while upholding family-owned business principles.
Locations
King Kullen runs 26 supermarkets across Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island. Nine of these stores include comprehensive pharmacy services with options for online prescription refills. Additionally, four locations provide online grocery ordering with delivery and pickup services covering much of Nassau County, parts of Suffolk (including Fire Island), and selected neighborhoods in Queens.
Headquarters
The company’s original headquarters were located at its second store on Jamaica Avenue in Bellaire, Queens, housed within a converted garage space. In 1940, administrative offices shifted to a combined warehouse-office building on Liberty Avenue in Queens. By 1961, headquarters moved into a larger warehouse facility spanning 95,000 square feet in Westbury, New York.
In May 2000, King Kullen opened a three-story corporate headquarters at 185 Central Avenue in Bethpage, New York. After selling this property to a venture capital firm in December 2020, the company relocated its offices to leased space in Hauppauge, New York.