The Food City banner dates back to 1918 when a store opened in Greeneville, TN but K-VA-T Food Stores real beginning was in 1955 when Jack C. Smith (founder), his father Curtis, cousin Ernest and uncle Earl opened their first store in Grundy, VA. Since that time, Food City has grown in leaps by acquisitions of several Piggly Wiggly operations in Southwest VA and Eastern KY, along with Quality Foods/Food City, White Stores, Winn Dixie and BI-LO units in East Tennessee. The company has also grown steadily by expansion into new areas, filling in gaps in the trade area with new units and always remodeling and replacing current units to stay on the cutting edge of grocery technology, product selection, and consumer demand.