As Amazon and Walmart are trying to battle it out over which of them will be king of the online grocery wars, Kroger is not just lying down and rolling over. In fact, the largest pureplay supermarket chain in the country is doing quite the opposite. Not only has the Cincinnati, OH-based retailer made sure that it is at the table, it has also has been doubling down on its e-commerce strategies in a strategy to remain a contender. The grocery chain had already begun investing in significantly building up its e-commerce, digital and omnichannel platforms with its three-year, $9 billion dollar initiative “Restock Kroger” in 2017, which included a collaboration with American robotics company Nuro to start testing robo-delivery services, as well as a partnership with British online supermarket Ocado to utilize its technologies in order to ramp up its online ordering, automated fulfillment and home delivery capabilities, including the creation of as many as 20 new, automated warehouse facilities using Ocado’s automated technologies. The latest endeavor that shows Kroger is ready to rumble with the two e-commerce juggernauts is the recent announcement that it will be debuting an e-commerce marketplace this fall meant to compete with Amazon and Walmart. The web marketplace will be an expansion of its Kroger Ship program (which launched in 2018) which will include more than 500,000 ship-to-home items available through third-party sellers, plus eligible Kroger.com orders will earn loyalty rewards like fuel points. The new platform will be powered by French e-commerce company Mirakl, which also counts Home Depot among its many clients.
“Our customers are increasingly turning to our e-commerce solutions provided at Kroger.com for their grocery and household essential needs. To better serve our customers, we’re continuing to invest in technology that enables us to expand our digital services to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere,” said Jody Kalmbach, Kroger’s group vice president of product experience. “Leveraging Mirakl’s best-in-class marketplace solution, we are broadening Kroger’s ship-to-home capabilities by offering more relevant products for our customers through exciting new partnerships with reputable third-party sellers.”
Another example of Kroger putting its money where its mouth is can be found in its “Zero Hunger/Zero Waste” initiative. Introduced in 2017, it is the company’s plan to end hunger and reduce waste in the communities it serves by 2025. The retailer has taken itself one step closer to that goal with the recent launch of its Simple Truth Recycling Program in which the grocer is offering a free and simple way to recycle the flexible packaging of more than 300 products from its natural and organic brand. Created in collaboration with Terracyle, the new platform allows customers to recycle a wide range of flexible packaging not currently accepted in curbside recycling programs, including produce bags, bread bags and plastic overwrap from household items like tissues and bottled water. I highly commend Kroger on being so proactive in this arena – this program makes it the first Fortune 25 retailer to offer a free recycling program for its own private label brand. Hopefully others will be inspired to follow suit.
With so many families eating at home these days, The Giant Company is providing a solution for easy and affordable meals without the hassle of prepping: a new cook-in-bag product line. Available in the meat and seafood section of all Giant and Martin’s stores, these new items come fully seasoned and prepared in an oven-ready bag – all that needs to be done is for it to be cooked to temperature. Not only do the cook-in-bag items make cooking the main component of a meal easy, but it also makes cleanup a breeze since there is no prepping necessary.
“Today’s families are busier than ever and they are looking for easy, real meals that take less time to prepare and allow for more time to spend together around the table,” said John Ruane, chief merchandising officer of The Giant Company. “The center of the plate protein is already prepared with the Cook-in-Bag, so families just add their favorite sides to create a flavorful and balanced meal that is convenient any night of the week.”
Safeway Eastern hosted a sneak preview of its new Capitol Hill store, its 12th Washington, DC location. This is the first new store in the District since the Petworth Safeway opened in 2014 and is a replacement for one on site that was demolished in 2018. At 60,236 square feet, the store, which acts as the anchor for a new mixed-use development called Beckert’s Park, is a sight to behold. Not only is it spacious and well-appointed in its clean and modern design, the amenities are countless.
At the site of the former National Capital Brewing Company, it is only fitting that the retailer brought an a-game to its wine, beer and spirits options. It features not only a glass-enclosed, 500-bottle walk-in wine cellar with an available wine steward on-call, but also a separate spirits room, making it the only grocery store in the district to carry liquor. Plus, it has the largest wine and beer selection of any Safeway in the Washington, DC region.
When you approach the bakery display case, you will forget that you are in a grocery store because the artistry of the cakes and desserts will make you feel like you are in a professional, stand-alone bakery. There’s even a gelato and sorbet bar (which seems meant to be since it was also the former site of an ice cream factory) featuring 24 options that can be ordered in cups, cones or ice cream sandwiches. It also features baked in-store breakfast and dessert items including six flavors of handmade filled croissants, eight flavors of handmade Danish, eight made-from-scratch artisan breads, monkey bread, and more.
Right in the vicinity of the bakery in its own 360-degree kiosk is a popcorn bar featuring six addictive flavors from the iconic Chicago popcorn shop, The Nuts on Clark (I highly recommend the caramel corn and the Chicago mix – a blend of caramel and cheese popcorn- they are my go-to options).
The deli area is outfitted with an array of deli meats and charcuterie options and the high-resolution digital display boards are really eye-catching. It also features a BBQ sandwich bar, a poutine bar, a sushi bar that additionally offers made-to-order poke bowls, and a great selection of grab-and-go packaged meal options.
The produce department showcases an expansive variety of organic fruits and vegetables and a wide selection of fresh cut produce. Plus, fresh squeezed juices are on-hand.
The meat department offers an array of organic, grass-fed, natural and choice grade beef items, and for those who want to take their steak game to the next level, customers can pre-order dry-aged choice beef ribeye and New York strip steaks aged from 21 to 42 days. Additionally, butchers are hand to offer custom meat-cutting services.
The seafood department not only offers a large assortment of fresh seafood, it also features a raw oyster bar with a selection of nine local oysters.
And for those of you who are night owls, the Capitol Hill store is open 24/7 (although wine and liquor sales end at midnight).
“We are delighted to grand open our beautiful new Capitol Hill grocery store, on the same site where our previous store stood until two years ago,” said Tom Lofland, president of Safeway Eastern. “This conveniently located neighborhood store will offer many unique features and products. Customers will be sure to enjoy the beautiful, modern design and the wide selection of products, including organic, natural, and healthy goods across all departments. We know the Capitol Hill Safeway will be a wonderful addition to the community.”
I really need to applaud Safeway Eastern on such a grand store – it truly is a gem and deserves all the accolades it receives.
Until next month…
Karen can be contacted via email at [email protected].