A Kroger grocery store in Covington, Kentucky, US, on Sunday, June 2, 2024. Photographer: Jeffrey Dean/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Kroger is preparing to cut prices on thousands of products as new CEO Greg Foran seeks to regain market share from rivals including Walmart, Costco and Aldi, Reuters reported, as the U.S. supermarket chain responds to increasingly cautious consumer spending amid inflation and economic uncertainty.
What they're saying:
Foran, who took over the top role in February, said the company plans to reinvest savings from tighter sourcing practices, streamlined operations and broader cost-cutting measures into lower prices and improved customer service.
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"The reality is, the basket has to come down. And not everyone’s basket is the same," Foran said, adding that the reductions would affect "thousands of products."
What's next:
The company plans to test the price reductions before expanding them more broadly and introducing them gradually over time.
Dig deeper:
Kroger said it expects to fund the lower prices partly by reducing operating costs, including importing merchandise directly and making greater use of technology to improve efficiency before passing the savings on to consumers through lower shelf prices.
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Big picture view:
Shares of Kroger fell about 2% in morning trading following the comments.
Retailers across the sector are grappling with more cautious consumer behavior as shoppers remain concerned about rising fuel prices, persistent inflation and broader economic uncertainty.
In March, Kroger forecast muted annual sales and profit growth, projecting 2026 identical sales growth — excluding fuel — of between 1% and 2%, alongside adjusted earnings per share of $5.10 to $5.30.
Meanwhile, larger rival Walmart maintained its conservative annual sales and profit outlook on Thursday, as higher fuel costs continue to push value-conscious consumers toward lower-priced groceries and essentials.
The Source: Reuters contributed to this report. The information in this story came primarily from comments made by Kroger CEO Greg Foran. This story was reported from Los Angeles.