LISTSTORY

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The List of L.A.’s 100 largest privately owned companies reflects the economic diversity of Los Angeles County. Development- and construction-related businesses have the largest single share 19 percent of the combined 1996 revenues of the 100 companies. But they are closely followed by grocery stores with 18 percent thanks in part to the $5.5 billion in revenues raked in by Ralphs Grocery Co.

The List also includes a wide range of other businesses, from manufacturers to oil companies. There are nine car dealers on the List, which reported a combined $2.9 billion in revenues. That beat the $2.7 billion generated by the 10 technology companies on the List.

No one region dominates the List. Twenty companies are based in the Mid Counties area, including Cerritos and City of Industry. But the San Fernando Valley and the Westside are not far behind with 18 and 16 companies, respectively.

The Pacesetter:

Ralphs Grocery Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Food 4 Less Holdings Inc., is by far the largest privately owned company in L.A. County.

Based in Compton, the company operates 262 Ralphs markets and 80 Food 4 Less warehouse stores in Southern California, in addition to 27 smaller stores in Northern California and 38 in the Midwest under different names. Collectively, the Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores serve more than 5.5 million customers per week.

The company has plans to build a minimum of 12 new stores annually in Southern California, where it rings up 26 percent of all supermarket sales and from where most of its revenues and profits originate, according to Chief Executive George Golleher.

Moreover, over the past two years, the company has remodeled 60 stores, and it plans to remodel another 40 in 1998.

The Century City-based Yucaipa Cos. owns 65.6 percent of Food 4 Less Holdings Inc. Yucaipa is also a major stakeholder in Dominick’s Finer Foods in Chicago and Smith’s Food & Drug of Salt Lake City.

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