Dive Summary:
- Kroger reported earnings for its fiscal second quarter Thursday, noting that earnings hit $317 million (60 cents per share), up from $279 million (51 cents per share) for the same quarter last year.
- Kroger is currently concentrating on cutting wait times at checkout and plans and learning from practices at its recent acquisition Harris Teeter, expanding the chain's "click and collect" service, which allows customers to pick up groceries that they have purchased online.
- Meanwhile, Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co., plans to sell several corporate-owned stores to Kroger, The Post and Courier reports, continuing a regional pattern of expansion for the grocer.
Dive Insight:
As we pointed out earlier this week, Kroger sits behind Walmart stores in a distant second place for U.S. food and beverage sales. Any combination of mergers from the lower ranks could change the landscape quickly, though. In the meantime, Kroger has been expanding assertively, picking up Harris Teeter for reach into the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states and committing additional dollars to expansion elsewhere.