In the mid-1980s, a new attitude towards food and shopping was stirring in the U.S., beginning as these trends often do, in California. Families were paying more attention to what they were eating, to freshness and nutrition, and looking for more diverse shopping choices. One of the earliest responses to these new customers occurred in October 1985 with the opening of the first Pavilions in Garden Grove, California. Pavilions were not just a reinvention of shopping, it was a reinvention of how supermarkets operate: It was an idea whose time had come, and shoppers welcomed it enthusiastically.

Today, Pavilions operates as a banner of Albertsons Companies, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. With both a strong local presence and national scale, the company operates stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2017 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company gave nearly $300 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities, and veterans outreach.