CINCINNATI, Feb. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR) today is hosting its second Natural Foods Innovation
Summit, in partnership with 84.51°, in Cincinnati, Ohio, following the success of its
inaugural event last October. Dr. James Rouse—naturopathic doctor,
award-winning author, media personality, and speaker—will present
at the event.
"Kroger's Simple Truth®, our brand of natural, organic and
free-from products, has achieved $2
billion in annual sales and our organic produce sales have
reached $1 billion annually since we
hosted our first summit. These are just two examples of our
customers' growing desire for clean products – and our ability to
deliver for them," said Jill
McIntosh, Kroger's vice president of natural foods.
"Kroger's Summit is an exciting innovation platform that promotes
discussion about natural food trends and provides a stage for
emerging brands to get their products in front of our buyers and
category managers."
More than 40 brands participated in the initial Summit,
representing different U.S. regions and categories, including
snacks, beverages, yogurts, vitamins and supplements, and protein
bars and powders.
"New brands and products are key components of Kroger's growth
strategy," added Ms. McIntosh. "In 2018, Kroger will continue to
focus on developing new partnerships at micro and macro levels and
sourcing locally and regionally. These are just a few of the ways
we are redefining the customer experience as outlined in our
Restock Kroger plan."
Local and natural foods brands can visit Kroger.Com/WeAreLocal
to learn how to join Kroger's family of suppliers. Sourcing locally
also supports the company's sustainability commitments, including
its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative launched last
September.
Kroger's next Natural Foods Innovation Summit will take place in
June and the company will participate in the Natural Products Expo
West event in March, giving brands the opportunity to pitch their
products to a panel of Kroger merchandising leaders and
influencers.
To view a video of the first Summit, visit
krogerstories.com.
At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed
the Human SpiritTM. We are 453,000 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-hosts-second-natural-foods-innovation-summit-300595793.html
SOURCE The Kroger Co.