Kroger to Continue Investing in its Stores

The Kroger Co. Inc. (Cincinnati) reported its 40th straight quarter of increased store productivity and a same-store sales gain of 3.5 percent.

The nation’s largest supermarket chain has attributed the success to an aggressive store-remodeling program. According to the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, Kroger plans to spend an additional $330 million on capital investments, such as store renovations, this year over last.

Competition from retailers Target Corp. (Minneapolis) and Walmart Stores Inc. (Bentonville, Ark.), and e-tailers like AmazonFresh, is “moving Kroger to make its store experience more compelling,” grocery analyst Alida Destrempe of Kantar Retail told the newspaper. “They’re all about experiential retailing.”