Kroger Company

The US rice industry, led by the USA Rice Federation, is systematically ramping up domestically grown jasmine rice to reduce its reliance on imports from Thailand. Each year the US imports roughly 1.5 million tons of rice worth about 1.5 billion US dollars, and as much as approximately 800,000 tons of that is Thai jasmine rice. In 2026, the US expanded its jasmine rice planting area to a record high of about 50,000 acres, or roughly 126,400 rai, triggering a shortage of seed. Six states, namely Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, are now all producing jasmine rice. The jasmine rice market is expanding at an average of 4% per year and is expected to grow to 7% by 2030. Walmart has announced it is the first retailer to switch its sourcing to domestically grown rice, while Kroger is moving in the same direction. A campaign during National Rice Month in September 2025 drove sales of domestically produced jasmine rice up 8.9% year on year and 5% month on month. The Thai Trade Center in Chicago warns that Thailand must adopt a more proactive strategy, focusing on preserving the value of Thai Hom Mali Rice rather than competing on price cuts.

Kroger is launching a new Kroger Rewards Elite Mastercard powered by the payments platform Imprint. Imprint said its AI-powered platform delivers tailored programs that drive measurable increases in engagement and spend, and Kroger shoppers can earn point multipliers for groceries, fuel, and dining. Imprint CEO Daragh Murphy will join NYSE Live to discuss the partnership and new growth opportunities for his company. The announcement came as part of the NYSE's pre-market update, which also noted the inaugural Fortune AIQ Summit taking place today at the NYSE under the theme 'Putting AI to work,' following the release of the 2026 Fortune AIQ 75 power list by Fortune and ServiceNow, with NYSE President Lynn Martin among the key speakers. The 10-year Treasury yield rose to 5.34%, its highest level since April 2002, and the September jobs report is due Friday ahead of the market open.

Kroger is betting on private-label brands to lower prices and protect margins, a strategy Costco has long used with its Kirkland Signature label. On the chain's second-quarter earnings call, CEO Gregory Foran said Private Selection sales rose more than 14% during the quarter, driven by strong customer response to new products including more ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat meals, and that brand sales across the portfolio grew faster than national brands with penetration up approximately 50 basis points. Kroger also plans to expand SmartWay, its opening price point brand, with more items, broader coverage across the store, and improved visibility in store and online. Data from Numerator cited by Retail Dive shows Kroger's private-label sales in produce, meat, seafood, deli and prepared foods, and in-store bakery rose by about $420 million over the 12-month period ended July 31. The push comes as an August NielsenIQ study found 58% of consumers don't care whether a product is a national brand or private label, 68% view private-label products as a good alternative to national brands, and 69% believe they offer good value for money, while Circana data puts U.S. private-label sales at $330 billion, a 24% unit share and 23% dollar share of the total market.

Harris Teeter announced it will invest approximately $253 million over the next three years to refresh and modernize select stores across the Charlotte, North Carolina area, an investment that also includes the development of three new stores. The renovations and enhancements will cover locations including Fort Mill and Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Matthews, Waxhaw, Concord and Huntersville, North Carolina, while the three new stores are planned for Fort Mill, South Carolina, Lake Wylie, South Carolina, and Kannapolis, North Carolina. "For generations, Charlotte families have made us a part of their neighborhoods and this investment reflects our long-term commitment to the customers and communities we serve," said Tammy DeBoer, president of Harris Teeter. The refresh initiative will include expanded fresh, bakery and prepared food offerings, layout and fixture updates, shopping cart and parking-area improvements at select locations, faster pickup and delivery services, and updated decor and signage, with updates rolling out in phases and varying by location. Harris Teeter, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co., is headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina, and employs 36,000 associates across more than 250 stores and 85 fuel centers.

Kroger reported second-quarter revenue of $34.62 billion, up 2% year on year and in line with analyst estimates of $34.64 billion, while GAAP earnings per share of $1.05 also came in line with the $1.06 consensus. Full-year GAAP EPS guidance of $5.20 at the midpoint beat analyst estimates by 2.8%, and operating margin held at 2.8%, matching the same quarter last year, though same-store sales were flat after a 3.4% gain a year earlier. On the earnings call, CEO Gregory S. Foran told analysts that price investments are geographically targeted and funded through disciplined cost control, and said cost pressures from fuel and supplier costs are mounting while the company's value proposition improved versus competitors in the quarter. Foran described a multi-year plan to gradually improve shelf price value funded by operational efficiencies, cited untapped opportunities in shrink, out-of-stocks and sourcing, and pointed to natural, organic and prepared foods plus private label offerings such as sushi and premium frozen meals as drivers of market share gains. Kroger also faced headwinds from a cyclospora outbreak that weighed on produce sales and from continued pressure from lower drug prices in the pharmacy segment, and the stock trades at $58.72, up from $56.95 just before the earnings.

Kroger CEO Gregory Foran told the supermarket chain's second-quarter earnings call that the company must be relentless on cost, with sourcing and savings coming in ahead of plan this quarter, and that every dollar taken out can be reinvested in areas customers will see. Foran, who has spent his first year in the job visiting Kroger locations, said opportunity remains inside the stores through better in-stocks, merchandising, standards and shrink management, and noted on-shelf availability reached an all-time high while pickup perfect orders were the best ever. Kroger has also expanded its loyalty program, rebranding Fuel Points as simply Points so customers can apply savings at the pump or directly to their grocery bill in-store or online, and has leaned on its Smart Way opening price point brand with more items and broader store coverage. The push comes as Kroger, with a market capitalization of $35.83 billion, lacks the buying power of Amazon at $2.76 trillion and Walmart at $852.7 billion, and unlike those rivals it must make money from selling groceries rather than using them as a loss leader. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company did over $100 billion in gross sales in its grocery business on everyday essentials last year alone excluding Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh, while Kroger posted $34.6 billion in total sales for the second quarter, and Walmart U.S. Chief Merchant Julie Barber said in July that the chain is making even more investments in price with thousands of Rollbacks across beef, fresh produce and beverages. GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders told RetailWire that Kroger has enormous reach and powerful economies of scale but has failed to capitalize on them, becoming a bland, middle-market grocer that does not win on price, experience, private label or e-commerce the way Walmart does.

The Kroger Co. reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $1.09 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.05, and its shares gained 2.7%. Adobe Inc. reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $6.13 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.08, with its shares rising 1.4%. Copart, Inc. reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of 35 cents per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 39 cents, and its shares declined 2.6%. T-Mobile US, Inc. shares added 2.9% as communications emerged as one of the biggest winning sectors of the day.

Mama's Creations reported second quarter fiscal 2027 results on September 3, with revenue rising 55% to $54.6 million, net income more than doubling to $2.6 million, and adjusted EBITDA climbing 68.9% to $5.5 million. Distribution is expanding: October brings the company's first placement inside banner Kroger, with over 100 stores in the Louisville division stocking four items, while Costco has confirmed it for a second-half multi-vendor mailer across all eight national regions, Walmart shelf space has grown past 2,300 stores, and Sam's Club is adding 300 clubs for a new panko chicken product this quarter. Gross margin ticked up to 24.0% from 23.6% in the first quarter, operating expenses fell 160 basis points to 18.5% of revenue, and a July stock offering brought in $108.6 million, pushing cash to $138.6 million against just $4.8 million of total debt as of July 31. CEO Adam Michaels flagged the challenge that chicken bottom percentages are not growing as fast as overall volume, since those dark meat cuts carry higher margins than the portion chicken products driving the fastest sales gains, and the Bay Shore facility acquired last year is still working toward the company's corporate average margins. Hedge fund ownership rose from 17 funds to 30 in the most recent quarter, 7.30% of the float is sold short, and the stock trades at 86.56 times forward earnings as of September 11.

Kroger has rolled out a combined grocery and prescription delivery service through Instacart across nearly all of its banners, allowing customers to place a single order for both groceries and eligible prescriptions. The service connects more than 2,200 Kroger pharmacy locations to Instacart delivery and is available through Kroger websites and apps. This launch supports Kroger's omni-channel approach and aims to deepen customer loyalty in digital grocery and health services. For investors, the move links Kroger's traditional store network with its growing digital ordering channels, potentially supporting larger baskets as food, prescriptions, and everyday items are bundled into one checkout. The clearest signal of traction will be how Kroger reports digital sales and pharmacy utilization in upcoming earnings updates, including commentary on order frequency and average ticket for online baskets that include prescriptions.

Kroger appointed Nate Faust as Chief eCommerce Officer, drawing on his experience at Jet.com and Walmart. The company highlighted a focus on supply chain efficiency and online grocery fulfillment under Faust's leadership. BrightFarms expanded its local greenhouse grown greens into more than 1,000 Kroger stores across the Dallas area. The BrightFarms rollout increases Kroger's range of fresh and locally sourced produce options for customers in Texas. Kroger is a US food and drug retailer with a reported market value of about $34.3b.

Kroger has appointed former Walmart and Jet.com executive Nate Faust as its new chief e-commerce officer, effective September 1. Faust, who co-founded Jet.com and later led U.S. e-commerce supply chain at Walmart, brings more than 20 years of experience building and scaling online retail businesses. CEO Greg Foran, who previously worked with Faust at Walmart, said Faust built businesses that redefined customer expectations around speed, value, and order accuracy. Industry observers expect Faust to focus on replacing third-party delivery services with Kroger's own capabilities, improving the Ocado partnership, and using retail media revenue to subsidize fulfillment.

The Kroger Co. launched an AI Shopping Assistant across its websites and apps in July 2026, aiming to help customers plan meals, discover recipes, and build carts tailored to budgets and dietary needs. The tool represents one component of Kroger's broader digital push, which includes expanding private labels and growing digital channels, as the company works toward projected revenue of $159.0 billion and earnings of $3.2 billion by 2029. Kroger reaffirmed its 2026 earnings guidance and reported June quarter results, framing how much room it has to invest in such tools while targeting its EPS range. The launch tests whether e-commerce investments and automation can offset cost pressures from labor and remodel spending, though online grocery remains less profitable and could continue to drag on overall margins. Simply Wall St's fair value estimate for Kroger stands at $70.71, implying a 25% upside to the current price, while community estimates range from $70.71 to $141.87.

Shares of Costco Wholesale, Verizon, and Kroger each gained roughly 2% on Tuesday as traders sold volatile semiconductor stocks and sought stability in defensive dividend payers. The rotation comes amid intensifying competition from Chinese chipmakers and growing doubts that AI spending will deliver promised returns, punishing companies like Alphabet for rising capital expenditures and threatening once-dominant tech leaders such as ASML Holding. Costco is up 13% in 2026, Verizon has gained 19% with free cash flow up 16% in the first half of the year, and Kroger is down 6% year-to-date, trading at about 11 times forward earnings as it cuts prices to attract at-home diners.

Kroger has launched a GLP-1 Complete Support Program through Kroger Health, tying the retailer more closely to weight management trends. The launch comes as Kroger's share price has softened, with a one-day return down 3.09% and a 90-day return down 17.06%, though the five-year total shareholder return stands at 52.33%. Valuation narratives diverge: the most followed narrative points to a fair value of $70.71, above the last close of $55.76, while another view highlights a current P/E ratio of 32.7 times, above the industry average of 20.4 times and a fair ratio of 31.6 times, suggesting the stock already carries a rich earnings multiple.

The Kroger Co. offered the lowest-priced basket of store-brand grocery staples among four major U.S. grocery chains, according to a Restaurant Furniture Plus study reported by Southern Living. Kroger ranked first with a total basket cost of $30 and had the lowest prices on 10 of the 15 products analyzed. Walmart finished second with a basket total of $30.95, followed by Aldi at $33.15 and Albertsons at $35.58. The comparison excluded Costco, Trader Joe's, H-E-B and Piggly Wiggly due to product availability and bulk-sales models. The findings come as grocery prices have climbed 32% over the past five years, pressuring household budgets.

Kroger is preparing for regulatory review of its proposed acquisition of regional grocer Giant Eagle, with expectations that some store divestitures may be required. Meanwhile, Kroger-affiliated brand Tempo has launched the Cook Never Club, a meal service focused on convenient, dietitian-approved options and community engagement. Kroger shares are trading at $56.56, down 11.7% over the past 30 days and 10.2% year to date, though the stock has returned 28.6% over three years and 56.9% over five years. The regulatory process and the new meal service rollout may be important markers for how Kroger grows its store base and digital food services, with potential implications for scale, margins, and customer loyalty.

Regulatory experts expect Kroger’s acquisition of the Giant Eagle chain to be approved after a detailed review, though some store divestitures will be required in overlapping markets such as central Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The deal is valued at about $1.65 billion, consisting of roughly $1.25 billion in cash plus the assumption of about $400 million in Giant Eagle liabilities, and will add approximately 197 supermarkets and 11 stand-alone pharmacies with around $9 billion in annual sales. Analysts note that while Kroger’s failed $25 billion Albertsons merger looms large, this much smaller regional acquisition is less likely to be rejected outright if the companies agree to sell or spin off stores in highly concentrated areas. Regulators will examine the combined chain’s impact on prices, labor, and suppliers, and critics including the National Grocers Association are urging a tough review, though that political pressure does not fundamentally alter the approval odds if significant divestitures are offered. Kroger, which operates around 2,700 stores nationally, says Giant Eagle will keep its brand name and local identity, expects only limited divestitures, and has no plans to close stores or cut frontline jobs beyond what regulators may require.