History
King Kullen was founded by Michael J. Cullen, a then-Kroger employee who devised the concept of the modern supermarket. Cullen attempted to make his concept public when he wrote to Kroger president Bernard Kroger, proposing a new type of food store with a focus on low prices, cash sales, and without delivery service, in larger stores (at low rents) with ample parking.
In his proposal, Cullen suggested that this new type of store could achieve 10 times the volume and profits of the average Kroger or A&P. After Cullen's letter went unanswered, he quit his job and moved his family to Long Island, where he launched his concept. Cullen leased a vacant garage at 171st Street and Jamaica Avenue in Queens, near a busy shopping district. The store, dubbed "King Kullen", opened on August 4, 1930.
King Kullen is notable for its title of "America's First Supermarket", and is recognized as such by the Smithsonian Institution. The chain is still owned by the Cullen family. More recently, former New York City Councilman Jack Muratori served as a King Kullen executive.
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