Southland Ice Company, Tote’m Stores

7-Eleven | History & Facts

7-Eleven, retailer that operates more than 60,000 convenience stores, mostly in North America and Asia. The typical outlet is small in size and carries a limited stock of food, drinks, and other high-turnover products but stays open long hours. Although a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Seven & i

7-Eleven, retailer that operates more than 60,000 convenience stores, mostly in North America and Asia.

7-Eleven

Philip Morris Companies Inc.

Altria Group | American Tobacco Conglomerate

Altria Group, American holding company founded in 1985, the owner of several major American companies with interests in tobacco products and wine, most notably Philip Morris Inc., the largest cigarette manufacturer in the United States. Its headquarters are in Richmond, Virginia. The ancestor of

Altria Group

American Tobacco Company | Monopoly, Trusts & Mergers

American Tobacco Company, American industrial conglomerate that was once the world’s largest cigarette maker. The history of the American Tobacco Company traces to the post-Civil War period in North Carolina, when a Confederate veteran, Washington Duke, began trading in tobacco. In 1874 he and his

American Tobacco Company

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. | Description, History, & Anheuser-Busch InBev 

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., American company that is one of the largest producers of beer in the world. It became a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2008. The headquarters are in St. Louis, Missouri. The company had its origins in a small brewery opened in St. Louis by George Schneider in

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., American company that is one of the largest producers of beer in the world. It became a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2008. The headquarters are in St. Louis, Missouri. Learn about Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. with this article.

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.

B.A.T. Industries PLC, BAT, British-American Tobacco Company Ltd.

British American Tobacco PLC | Tobacco Products, Cigarettes & Cigars

British American Tobacco PLC, British conglomerate that is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of tobacco products. The company’s international headquarters are in London. Its chief American subsidiary, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The

British American Tobacco PLC

Jos. Campbell Preserve Company, Joseph Campbell Company

Campbell Soup Company | American Food Manufacturer

Campbell Soup Company, American manufacturer, incorporated in 1922 but dating to a canning firm first established in 1869, that is the world’s largest producer of soup. It is also a major producer of canned pasta products; snack foods, such as cookies and crackers; fruit and tomato juices; canned

Campbell Soup Company

Carrefour SA | Retail, Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Carrefour SA, French company that is one of the world’s largest retailers. Headquarters are in Paris. Carrefour operates thousands of stores under various names, including the hypermarket Carrefour, the supermarket Champion, convenience stores Shopi and Marché Plus, discount stores Dia and Ed, and

Carrefour SA

United Brands Company

Chiquita Brands International, Inc. | American Corporation, Fruit & Produce Supplier

Chiquita, corporation that traces its origins to the United Fruit Company, which was founded in 1899 to produce bananas. Chiquita has many subsidiaries around the world that market and distribute fruits, vegetables, and other produce. The Boston Fruit Company and other companies that were producing

Chiquita is a corporation that traces its origins to the United Fruit Company, which was founded in 1899 to produce bananas. Chiquita has many subsidiaries around the world that market and distribute fruits, vegetables, and other produce, and it has a long complicated history with countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America, where its products, particularly bananas, are grown. The Miss Chiquita character is among the company’s most-enduring brand symbols.

Chiquita

Colgate-Palmolive Company | Global Consumer Products, Home Care & Oral Care

Colgate-Palmolive Company, American diversified company that manufactures and distributes household and commercial cleaning products, dental and other personal-care products, and pet foods in the United States and in more than 200 other countries and territories worldwide. Headquarters are in New

Colgate-Palmolive Company

Costco Wholesale Corporation

Costco | History & Facts

Costco, American operator of discount stores of the type known as warehouse clubs or wholesale clubs, in which bulk quantities of merchandise are sold at deeply discounted prices to club members who pay an annual membership fee. It is one of the largest retailers in the world. Costco is based in

Costco, American operator of discount stores of the type known as warehouse clubs or wholesale clubs.

Costco

Del Monte Corporation

Del Monte Foods | Fruit & Vegetables, Canned Goods & Snacks

Del Monte Foods, American corporation engaged primarily in processing, canning, and distributing food. It is a major grower and distributor of bananas and pineapples, and it owns subsidiaries engaged in trucking, public warehousing, institutional food service and vending, building maintenance, and

Del Monte Foods

Postum Cereal Co. Ltd.

General Foods Corporation | Food Processing, Packaged Goods, Branding

General Foods Corporation, former American manufacturer of packaged grocery and meat products. Since 1989, General Foods product lines have been sold by Kraft Foods Inc. The company was incorporated in 1922, having developed from the earlier Postum Cereal Co. Ltd., founded by C.W. Post (1854–1914)

General Foods Corporation

General Mills, Inc. | Food Manufacturer, Cereal Maker, Snack Producer

General Mills, Inc., leading American producer of packaged consumer foods, especially flour, breakfast cereals, snacks, prepared mixes, and similar products. It is also one of the largest food service manufacturers in the world. Headquarters are in Minneapolis, Minnesota. General Mills was

General Mills, Inc.

A&P, Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company

Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P)

Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P), former German-owned food distribution company that operated supermarket chains in the United States and Canada. The company’s history traces to 1859, when George F. Gilman and George Huntington Hartford founded the Great American Tea Co. in New York

Great Atlantic &amp; Pacific Tea Company, Inc.

Arthur Guinness & Sons PLC, Arthur Guinness Son & Co. Ltd., Guinness PLC

Guinness | Brand, History, & Brewery

Guinness, former company, incorporated in 1886 as Arthur Guinness Son & Co. Ltd., best known as the brewer of a distinctive dark and creamy stout. In 1997 the company merged with Grand Metropolitan PLC to form Diageo PLC. Guinness remains a brand of that company, which is headquartered in London.

Guinness PLC, former company, incorporated in 1886 as Arthur Guinness Son & Co. Ltd., best known as the brewer of a distinctive dark and creamy stout. In 1997 the company merged with Grand Metropolitan PLC to form Diageo PLC. Guinness remains a brand of that company, which is headquartered in London.

Guinness

H.J. Heinz Company

Heinz | History, Products, & Facts

Heinz, division and brand of the Kraft Heinz Company, a major manufacturer of processed foods and beverages that was formed by the 2015 merger of H.J. Heinz Holding Corporation and Kraft Foods Group. Heinz is known for its “57 Varieties” slogan, which was devised in 1896, though the company was

Heinz, division and brand of the Kraft Heinz Company, a major American manufacturer of processed foods that was formed by the 2015 merger of H.J. Heinz Holding Corporation and Kraft Foods Group. Its headquarters are in Pittsburgh. Learn more about Heinz, including its history.

Heinz

InBev | Beer Brewing, Mergers & Acquisitions

InBev, former international brewing company that was founded in 2004 through the merger of the Brazilian Companhia de Bebidas das Américas (AmBev) and the Belgian Interbrew SA. In 2008 it acquired Anheuser-Busch, and the resulting company was named Anheuser-Busch InBev. Interbrew’s history dates to

InBev

Jewel Companies Inc.

Jewel-Osco | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets, Retail

Jewel-Osco, American retail grocery and pharmacy chain operating as a subsidiary of the grocery distributor and retailer SuperValu Inc. The company originated in 1899, when Frank Vernon Skiff and Frank Ross founded the Jewel Tea Company to supply condiments to the Chicago area from horse-drawn

Jewel-Osco

Kraft Foods | History, Products, & Facts

Kraft Foods, division and brand of Kraft Heinz Company, one of the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers that was formed by the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Holding Corporation. Kraft Foods’ headquarters are in Northfield, Illinois. Kraft grew out of a wholesale

Kraft Foods, division and brand of Kraft Heinz Company, one of the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers that was formed by the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Holding Corporation. Kraft Foods’ headquarters are in Northfield, Illinois.

Kraft Foods

Great Western Tea Company, Kroger Grocery and Baking Co.

Kroger Co. | History & Facts

Kroger Co., American chain of supermarkets and related retail businesses. In the early 21st century, Kroger was the world’s third largest retailer and the largest chain of freestanding supermarkets in the United States. Corporate headquarters are in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Kroger Co. traces its

Kroger Co., American chain of supermarkets and related retail businesses.

Kroger Co.

Liggett & Myers Company, Liggett & Myers Incorporated, Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company

Liggett Group Inc. | Tobacco, Cigarettes, Cigars

Liggett Group Inc., former U.S. conglomerate that once held major interests in tobacco products, spirits and wines, and pet foods. In 1849 J.E. Liggett and Brother was established in St. Louis, Mo., by John Edmund Liggett (1826–97) as an outgrowth of a family concern dating to 1822. George S. Myers

Liggett Group Inc.

P. Lorillard Company

Lorillard | Tobacco, Cigarettes & Advertising

Lorillard, oldest tobacco manufacturer in the United States, dating to 1760, when a French immigrant, Pierre Lorillard, opened a “manufactory” in New York City. It originally made pipe tobacco, cigars, plug chewing tobacco, and snuff. Tobacco for “roll-your-own” cigarettes was introduced in 1860,

Lorillard

MillerCoors | Brewing, Alcoholic Beverages, Beer

MillerCoors, American brewing company formed in 2008 through the merger of SABMiller PLC and Molson Coors. In addition to its signature Miller and Coors brands, MillerCoors produces numerous popular beverage lines, including Milwaukee’s Best, Blue Moon, and Leinenkugel’s. Its headquarters are in

MillerCoors

National Biscuit Company

Nabisco | Snack Foods, Biscuits, Cookies

Nabisco, former U.S. snack food and bakery product company. The National Biscuit Company was formed in 1898 when the American Biscuit Company merged with the New York Biscuit Company. Better known as Nabisco, it went on to introduce a number of popular consumer brands such as Oreo cookies (1912)

Nabisco

PepsiCo, Inc. | History, Products, & Facts

PepsiCo, Inc., based in Purchase, New York, is one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies. PepsiCo is known for its Frito-Lay snack food brands, soft drinks under its Gatorade, Mountain Dew, and namesake Pepsi brands, and cereal products under its Quaker Oats subsidiary. The PepsiCo

 PepsiCo, Inc. is one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, known for its Frito-Lay snack food brands, soft drinks under its Gatorade, Mountain Dew, and namesake Pepsi brands, and cereal products under its Quaker Oats subsidiary. PepsiCo brands are present in over 200 countries and serve over a billion customers each day.  

PepsiCo, Inc.

C.A. Pillsbury & Co., Grand Metropolitan, P.L.C., Pillsbury Flour Mills Company, Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company, Ltd.

Pillsbury Company | Food Products, Flour Mills & Bakery Goods

Pillsbury Company, former American flour miller and food products manufacturer that was acquired by its rival, General Mills, in 2001. Both companies were headquarted in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Through its long history in the baking-goods industry, its cookbooks, and its promotional baking

Pillsbury Company

Procter & Gamble Company | Consumer goods, Household products, Global market

Procter & Gamble Company, major American manufacturer with a diverse line of branded products. Headquarters are in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was formed in 1837 when William Procter, a British candlemaker, and James Gamble, an Irish soapmaker, merged their businesses in Cincinnati. The chief

Procter &amp; Gamble Company

R.J. Reynolds Industries

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company | Cigarettes, Tobacco, Advertising

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, American manufacturer of tobacco products. The origins of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company date to the post-Civil War era, when Richard Joshua Reynolds (1850–1918) began trading in tobacco, first in his native Virginia and then in Winston, N.C., where in 1875 he

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Robinson-Danforth Commission Company

Ralston Purina Company | Pet Food, Animal Nutrition & Pet Care

Ralston Purina Company, former American manufacturer of cereals, packaged foods, pet food, and livestock feed. A merger with Nestlé in December 2001 created Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. The company—initially called the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company—was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, in

Ralston Purina Company

RJR Nabisco, Inc. | Snack Food, Biscuits & Confectionery

RJR Nabisco, Inc., former conglomerate corporation formed by the merger in 1985 of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (a diversified company specializing in tobacco and food products), and Nabisco Brands, Inc., an international manufacturer of snack foods. In what was the biggest merger of its time,

RJR Nabisco, Inc.

Safeway Inc. | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets, Grocery Retailers

Safeway Inc., leading U.S. supermarket chain, with stores in the United States and abroad. Its headquarters are in Pleasanton, California. The company originated as a small grocery store started by S.M. Skaggs in American Falls, Idaho, in 1915. The store was dedicated to building sales volume by

Safeway Inc.

Sara Lee Corporation | Food Products, Bakery Goods & Retail

Sara Lee Corporation, major American producer of frozen baked goods, fresh and processed meats, coffee, hosiery and knitwear, and household and shoe-care products. It is headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill. The company was incorporated in 1941 as the South Street Company and went through several

Sara Lee Corporation

Seagram Company Ltd. | Alcoholic Beverages, Spirits & Liquor

Seagram Company Ltd., former Canadian corporation that was the world’s largest producer and distributor of distilled spirits. The company began when Distillers Corp., Ltd., a Montreal distillery owned by Samuel Bronfman, acquired Joseph E. Seagram & Sons in 1928. The new company, named Distillers

Seagram Company Ltd.

The Coca-Cola Company | History, Products, & Facts

The Coca-Cola Company is an American corporation founded in 1892 and today engaged primarily in the manufacture and sale of syrup and concentrate for Coca-Cola, a sweetened carbonated beverage that is a cultural institution in the United States and a global symbol of American tastes. The company

The Coca-Cola Company is an American corporation founded in 1892 and today engaged primarily in the manufacture and sale of syrup and concentrate for Coca-Cola (Coke), a sweetened carbonated beverage that is a cultural institution in the United States. The company also produces and sells other beverages.

The Coca-Cola Company

Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Walmart, Inc.

Walmart | History & Facts

Walmart, Inc. (WMT) is an American multinational discount store operator and one of the largest corporations in the global retail industry. Its company headquarters is located in Bentonville, Arkansas. Walmart’s business strategy sprung from the late 19th century five-and-dime retail model, but it

Walmart is an American operator of discount stores; it is one of the world’s biggest retailers and among the world’s largest corporations. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962. Headquarters are in Bentonville, Arkansas. Learn more about Walmart, including its history.

Walmart

Whole Foods Market | History & Facts

Whole Foods Market, the largest American chain of supermarkets that specializes in natural and organic foods. It operates stores in the United States and also in Canada and the United Kingdom. Corporate headquarters are in Austin, Texas. In 2017 Whole Foods was acquired by Amazon.com. The first

Whole Foods Market, largest American chain of supermarkets that specializes in natural and organic foods. It operates stores in the United States and also in Canada and the United Kingdom. In 2017 Whole Foods was acquired by Amazon.com. Learn more about the chain.

Whole Foods Market

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Communication services, added in 2018, includes traditional and social media, web platforms, video game makers, and telecom providers. Companies include AT&T, Netflix, Facebook parent Meta, and Google parent Alphabet.

Communication Services

Discretionary companies - autos, travel and entertainment companies, apparel makers, and e-commerce - tend to rise and fall with the consumer economy. Companies include Ford, Nike, Disney, McDonald’s, and Amazon.

Consumer Discretionary

Staples are everyday products such as toothpaste, detergent, food and beverages, groceries, and beauty supplies. Companies include Costco, Walmart, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble.

Consumer Staples

The energy sector, which includes oil and gas producers, pipeline builders, and refineries, tends to follow commodities. Companies include ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Chevron, Occidental, and ConocoPhillips.

Energy

The financials sector includes insurance, commercial and investment banks, brokers, and credit card and payment providers. Companies include JPMorganChase, PayPal, Allstate, Visa, BlackRock, and Goldman Sachs.

Financials

The health care sector includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, and health insurance companies. Top names include Pfizer, UnitedHealth, Medtronic, and Johnson & Johnson.

Health Care

The industrials sector includes construction, agricultural machinery, airplanes, defense (weapons) contractors, railroads, and delivery companies. Top names include Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Caterpillar, FedEx, 3M, and CSX.

Industrials

The growth-oriented tech sector makes and services semiconductors, cell phones, computer hardware and software, and services such as cloud computing. Companies include Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Cisco.

Consumer Staples

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All Consumer Staples Companies