The Kroger Company is an American retailer founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. By revenue it’s the country’s largest supermarket chain, second-largest general retailer (behind Walmart), and twenty-third largest company. Kroger is also the fifth largest retailer in the world. , Kroger operates, either directly or through its subsidiaries, 2,424 stores. Kroger’s headquarters are in downtown Cincinnati. It maintains markets in 31 states, with store formats that include supermarkets, superstores, department stores, convenience stores, and mall jewelry stores. Kroger-branded grocery stores are located throughout the Midwestern and Southern United States. Kroger also is parent to several “banner” chains, such as Ralphs in California. Kroger’s employees are mostly represented by collective bargaining agreements (union employees). Seventy-five percent of Kroger employees are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.