CINCINNATI, Sept. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR) today launched a new website to welcome local and
emerging brands to partner with the company, called
Kroger.Com/WeAreLocal.
"Kroger has always had a commitment to supporting small-business
owners and local vendors," says Mike
Donnelly, Kroger's executive vice president of merchandising
and procurement. "Our business has a track record of successfully
blending centralized and decentralized decision making to promote
local products while also enjoying economies of scale. Since
Kroger's day one, we have had a longstanding, 365-day-a-year
commitment to support and source from local farmers, ranchers, food
producers, wineries, breweries and product makers. There are tastes
and products that are unique to every region."
As America's grocer, Kroger recognizes the importance of
carrying local and regional brands that are meaningful to the
nearly nine million customers served in its family of stores daily.
Kroger sources from thousands of local suppliers today.
Kroger's team of buyers continuously look for opportunities to
purchase regionally that allow the company to expand its product
portfolio for customers, stimulate the local economy and enhance
product freshness. Sourcing locally also supports the company's
sustainability commitments, including Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero
Waste initiative launched earlier this week.
"Kroger has led the way for over a decade in making local,
natural and organic products more affordable and accessible to
America -- especially for shoppers on a budget," said Mr. Donnelly.
"We've always believed that our customers shouldn't have to pay
higher prices just because a product is local, natural or organic.
There are a lot of headlines about making local, natural and
organic foods more affordable. The truth is, we've always
been affordable. That's why we developed our Simple Truth brand,
which today is the biggest natural and organic brand in the country
by volume."
At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed
the Human Spirit™. We are 450,000
associates who serve nearly nine million customers daily in 2,793
retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35
states and the District of
Columbia. Our Family of Companies operates an expanding
ClickList offering – a personalized order online service – in
addition to 2,258 pharmacies, 783 convenience stores, 307 fine
jewelry stores, 222 retail health clinics, 1,472 supermarket fuel
centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Our Company has been
recognized as one of America's most generous companies for our
support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast
cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and
more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. As a
leader in supplier diversity, we are a proud member of the
Billion Dollar Roundtable.
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kroger-launches-krogercomwearelocal-invites-local-suppliers-to-join-the-kroger-family-of-companies-300524568.html
SOURCE The Kroger Co.