King Kullen
King Kullen is a privately held, family-owned regional supermarket chain operating 28 stores (24 King Kullen and 4 Wild by Nature) across Long Island, NY. Founded in 1930 and recognized by the Smithsonian as America's first modern supermarket, it serves Long Island households with full-service grocery, pharmacy, catering, and online ordering with delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1930
- HeadquartersBethpage, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What King Kullen does
King Kullen Grocery Company, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned regional supermarket chain headquartered in Hauppauge, New York, operating 24 King Kullen supermarkets and 4 Wild by Nature organic specialty stores across Suffolk and Nassau County on Long Island. Founded in 1930 by Michael J. Cullen, the company is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as the operator of America's first modern supermarket. The chain has contracted from a 1980s peak of 55 locations to its current 28-store footprint, reflecting sustained competitive pressure from larger national and regional grocers.
The company's core offering is full-service traditional grocery retail, organized into in-store departments including produce (sourced in part from local Long Island farms), meat, seafood, deli, bakery, floral, and pharmacy, supplemented by catering services and the Wild by Nature organic sub-brand. The underlying technology is conventional: a company website, a white-label online ordering platform (shopkingkullen.com), a mobile application on iOS and Android, digital coupon integrations (Coupons.com, Checkout 51), and third-party delivery partnerships with Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. There is no documented API, no proprietary technology platform, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.
King Kullen generates revenue primarily through transactional retail grocery sales across its 28 Long Island locations, with revenue concentrated in the household and consumer segment. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, though order minimums ($75 for standard pickup/delivery, $200 for Fire Island) suggest a basket-size threshold tied to delivery economics. The company has remained family-controlled across four generations, declined a 2018 acquisition offer from Ahold Delhaize's Stop & Shop division in 2020, and completed a generational leadership transition in 2026 with the appointment of Tracey Cullen as president and COO.
King Kullen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- King Kullen
- Legal name
- King Kullen Grocery Company, Inc.
- Website
- https://kingkullen.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1930
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- King Kullen is a privately held, family-owned regional supermarket chain operating 28 stores (24 King Kullen and 4 Wild by Nature) across Long Island, NY. Founded in 1930 and recognized by the Smithsonian as America's first modern supermarket, it serves Long Island households with full-service grocery, pharmacy, catering, and online ordering with delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where King Kullen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bethpage
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
King Kullen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Grocery Sales: Revenue generated from in-store and online grocery sales across 24-28 King Kullen supermarket locations and 4 Wild by Nature organic stores on Long Island, NY. Products include fresh produce, meat, seafood, deli items, bakery goods, and pharmacy services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
King Kullen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
King Kullen is a regional grocery supermarket chain operating 24 King Kullen stores and 4 Wild by Nature organic stores across Long Island, NY. Its core offering is full-service grocery retail, including fresh produce (sourced from Long Island farms), USDA Choice meats, fresh seafood, deli, bakery, floral, and in-store pharmacy, complemented by online ordering with home delivery, curbside pickup, and catering services.
Product overview
King Kullen is a regional grocery supermarket chain (established 1930, recognized as America's first modern supermarket) operating 24 King Kullen stores and 4 Wild by Nature organic specialty stores across Long Island, NY. The company offers a unified retail platform combining physical supermarket departments (produce, meat, seafood, deli, bakery, floral, pharmacy) with digital commerce capabilities including online ordering with home delivery, curbside pickup, and a mobile app. King Kullen's product portfolio centers on traditional full-service grocery retail supplemented by an organic/natural foods sub-brand (Wild by Nature), catering services, and digital shopping tools. The company has no documented API or developer platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- King Kullen Supermarkets Full-service grocery retail stores operated by King Kullen across Long Island, NY, offering fresh produce, meats, seafood, deli, bakery, floral, and pharmacy departments. The company operates 24 King Kullen supermarket locations in Suffolk and Nassau County.
- Wild by Nature Organic and natural foods specialty grocery brand operating 4 store locations alongside King Kullen supermarkets on Long Island, NY, targeting health-conscious consumers seeking organic and natural products.
- Online Grocery Ordering and Delivery E-commerce service enabling customers to shop groceries online for home delivery or in-store pickup across Long Island, NY, fulfilled by in-store personal shoppers. Includes a $75 minimum order at most pickup and delivery locations and $200 minimum for Fire Island.
- In-Store Pharmacy In-store pharmacy services providing prescription medications and health-related services to Long Island grocery shoppers.
- Catering Services Catering service for corporate meetings, parties, and events, featuring seafood platters and salad platters in various sizes to accommodate different needs and budgets.
- Floral Department Fresh flowers and floral arrangements offered for occasions and everyday decoration as part of King Kullen's in-store supermarket services.
- King Kullen Mobile App King Kullen mobile application available on iOS and Android for convenient grocery shopping, digital coupons, store information, and order access.
- Gift Cards King Kullen and Wild by Nature gift cards redeemable across the chain's supermarket and organic specialty store locations on Long Island, NY.
Companies that use King Kullen
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
King Kullen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
King Kullen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Edible Garden AGminorEdible Garden AG launched its Pickle Party™ product line at King Kullen supermarkets, marking expansion into the fresh condiments category. The products are developed in partnership with Hermann Pickle Company and are raw, fermented, Kosher, and Non-GMO condiments. This partnership strengthens Edible Garden's presence in the New York Metro market through King Kullen's regional retail network.
- Uber EatsminorKing Kullen partnered with Uber Eats to expand on-demand grocery delivery services. The expansion is part of Uber Eats' broader strategy to partner with regional grocery brands in the Northeast, Midwest, and Texas regions, providing King Kullen customers with additional delivery options.
- InstacartminorKing Kullen offers grocery delivery through Instacart, allowing customers to shop from King Kullen stores through the Instacart platform for convenient home delivery.
- DoorDashminorKing Kullen partnered with DoorDash for on-demand grocery delivery services, extending the retailer's delivery reach to consumers preferring the DoorDash platform.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
King Kullen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wegmans: Wegmans is a large East Coast regional supermarket chain that competes for Long Island customers on fresh, prepared, and perishable categories with a comparable full-service store format and strong brand reputation.
- Walmart: Walmart operates Supercenter locations on Long Island that compete with King Kullen on grocery pricing, assortment breadth, and increasingly on pickup/delivery, and represents the scale-driven incumbent that regional chains like King Kullen must defend against.
Direct peers
- ShopRite: ShopRite is a cooperative supermarket chain with multiple Long Island locations, competing head-to-head with King Kullen in full-service grocery, produce, and private-label offerings across the same geography and demographic.
- Trader Joe's: Trader Joe's operates multiple Long Island locations and competes with King Kullen on specialty, private-label, and fresh categories, drawing from the same suburban Long Island household base.
- Whole Foods Market: Whole Foods competes with King Kullen's Wild by Nature sub-brand on premium organic and natural foods in Long Island trade areas, and increasingly overlaps with mainline King Kullen on fresh, prepared, and specialty categories.
- Key Food Stores: Key Food is a cooperative banner with Long Island presence, competing directly with King Kullen on full-service neighborhood grocery and locally-sourced produce positioning.
- Stop & Shop: Stop & Shop, owned by Ahold Delhaize, is a regional supermarket chain with deep presence in the same Long Island / NY Metro market as King Kullen, offering comparable full-service grocery departments, pharmacy, and online ordering. The two are direct competitors and were even on opposite sides of a 2018–2020 failed acquisition.
- Waldbaum's (legacy brand, now consolidated into Stop & Shop): Waldbaum's was a historic Long Island supermarket brand operating in the same market; Ahold Delhaize has converted Waldbaum's locations to Stop & Shop banners, and its former footprint represents the type of direct Long Island competition King Kullen has faced for decades.
Regional players
- D'Agostino's: D'Agostino's is a legacy New York City supermarket chain with similar heritage positioning and full-service departments, comparable in size and family-owned character to King Kullen but operating primarily in Manhattan.
- Morton Williams: Morton Williams operates family-run supermarkets in the New York Metro area with comparable full-service departments and produce emphasis, representing similar-format regional competition albeit with primary concentration in Manhattan rather than Long Island.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
King Kullen social profiles
Digital presenceKing Kullen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
King Kullen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
King Kullen subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
King Kullen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
King Kullen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about King Kullen
What does King Kullen do?
King Kullen is a regional grocery supermarket chain operating 24 King Kullen stores and 4 Wild by Nature organic stores across Long Island, NY. Its core offering is full-service grocery retail, including fresh produce (sourced from Long Island farms), USDA Choice meats, fresh seafood, deli, bakery, floral, and in-store pharmacy, complemented by online ordering with home delivery, curbside pickup, and catering services.
Is King Kullen a public or private company?
King Kullen is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was King Kullen founded?
King Kullen was founded in 1930. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is King Kullen based?
King Kullen is headquartered in Bethpage, United States, in the North America region.
How does King Kullen make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail Grocery Sales.
Who are King Kullen's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wegmans and Walmart. Direct peers are ShopRite, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, Key Food Stores, Stop & Shop and Waldbaum's (legacy brand, now consolidated into Stop & Shop). Regional players are D'Agostino's and Morton Williams.
Does King Kullen have an API?
No public API is recorded for King Kullen.