Kings Food Markets is an upscale food market chain headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, with stores in northern New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Founded in 1936, Kings was bought by UK retailer Marks & Spencer in 1988 and later sold to a US investor group consisting of Angelo, Gordon & Co. and MTN Capital Partners LLC in 2006.
As of 2016, Kings' New Jersey competitors include ShopRite and Stop & Shop. The chain operates either in, or in close proximity to, affluent suburban towns, and its stores offer a mix of upscale and traditional grocery items.
In the 1980s, Kings was among the final supermarket chains to offer traditional S&H Green Stamps.
Kings was acquired by the British firm Marks and Spencer plc in 1988 but achieved little in terms of expansion into new affluent areas. Marks and Spencer plc later made a number of attempts to sell the chain, putting its desire to further invest into doubt. New York-based Gristedes made a bid for Kings, but the later was eventually sold in 2006 to a US investor group.
In 2009, King's acquired Balducci's.
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