<P> The merger instantly created the largest chain of grocery stores west of the Mississippi . In the 1930s, Charles E. Merrill temporarily left Merrill Lynch to help manage Safeway . At the time of the merger, the company was headquartered in Reno, Nevada . In 1929, it was relocated to a former grocery warehouse in Oakland, California . Safeway headquarters remained there until the move to Pleasanton, California in 1996 . </P> <P> The initial public offering price of Safeway stock was $226 in 1927 . A five for one split in 1928 brought the price down to under $50 . Over the next few years, Charles Merrill, with financing supplied by Merrill Lynch, then began aggressively acquiring numerous regional grocery store chains for Safeway in a rollup strategy . Early acquisitions included significant parts of Piggly Wiggly chain as part of the breakup of that company by Merrill Lynch and Wall Street . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Firm </Th> <Th> #of stores </Th> <Th> Location </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1926 </Td> <Td> H.G. Chaffee </Td> <Td> grocery stores </Td> <Td> Southern California </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1926 </Td> <Td> Skaggs Cash Stores </Td> <Td> 679 grocery stores </Td> <Td> Idaho </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1926 </Td> <Td> Skaggs United Stores </Td> <Td> (in above) </Td> <Td> California </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1928 </Td> <Td> Arizona Grocery / Pay'n Takit Stores </Td> <Td> 24 grocery stores; 24 meat markets </Td> <Td> Arizona </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1928 </Td> <Td> Newway Stores </Td> <Td> 15 grocery stores; 11 meat markets </Td> <Td> El Paso, Texas </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1928 </Td> <Td> Sanitary Grocery (incl . some Piggly Wiggly) </Td> <Td> 429 grocery stores; 67 meat markets </Td> <Td> Washington D.C. and Virginia </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1928 </Td> <Td> Eastern Stores Inc . </Td> <Td> 67 grocery stores; 127 meat markets </Td> <Td> Baltimore, Maryland </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1928 </Td> <Td> Piggly Wiggly Pacific </Td> <Td> 91 grocery stores; 84 meat markets </Td> <Td> Oakland, California </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1928 </Td> <Td> Bird Grocery Stores (including some Piggly Wiggly) </Td> <Td> 224 grocery stores; 210 meat markets </Td> <Td> Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1929 </Td> <Td> Piggly Wiggly West </Td> <Td> 91 grocery stores; 84 meat markets </Td> <Td> Northern California, Hawaii, Colorado </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1929 </Td> <Td> Sun Grocery </Td> <Td> 91 grocery stores; 84 meat markets </Td> <Td> Tulsa, Oklahoma </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1931 </Td> <Td> MacMarr Stores </Td> <Td> grocery stores </Td> <Td> Los Angeles </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1936 </Td> <Td> Stores from Kroger </Td> <Td> 53 grocery stores </Td> <Td> Oklahoma </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1941 </Td> <Td> Daniel Reeves </Td> <Td> 498 grocery stores </Td> <Td> New York </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1941 </Td> <Td> National Grocery </Td> <Td> 84 grocery stores </Td> <Td> New Jersey </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1958 </Td> <Td> Thriftway Stores (Iowa) </Td> <Td> 30 grocery stores </Td> <Td> Iowa </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Firm </Th> <Th> #of stores </Th> <Th> Location </Th> </Tr>

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