Alpha Beta

Company History: Goods and Service: Retail Grocery Store Service closed late 1900s

Alpha Beta began as a merchandising concept rather than as a store name.
Albert and Hugh Gerrard had been operating food stores in Southern California since 1900 and had been early adopters of a self-service system in 1914. Their Triangle Grocerteria (at 329 West Second Street, Pasadena) began arranging groceries alphabetically in 1915, the beginning of the “Alpha Beta system”.
The Alpha Beta name was first used for the Pomona store in 1917. By the next year, seven stores were operating under this name. Alpha Beta Food Markets incorporated in 1929.
In 1932, Alpha Beta began operating its first supermarkets under the Wholesale-Retain Food Markets name. Eventually Alpha Beta Ranch Markets were also opened, although the simple Alpha Beta name ultimately was applied to all stores. Twenty of these were operating in 1945.
The company went public in 1956 and grew through the acquisition of the Raisin Markets chain in 1958 and through its drug store division, Hy-Lo, beginning in 1960.
By 1973, Alpha Beta operated over 200 supermarkets and additional 50 coffee shops and drug stores.
The demise of the Alpha Beta name began with the 1988 merger of American Stores with Lucky Stores.

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