Big Changes Coming to Nearly 600 Kroger Stores

Kroger does a great job at making you feel like it's a neighborhood grocery store, when in reality, it's the largest traditional grocery store chain in America.

That could change soon.

What's Happening With Kroger Stores?

As part of Kroger's acquisition of the second largest grocery store chain in America, Albertsons, Kroger needed to do some offloading of 579 of its locations.

Kroger will be selling those stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers in order to complete its nearly $24.6 billion acquisition of Idaho-based Albertsons.

Kroger had 2719 locations across America before the sale. You have an opportunity here to impress your first grade math teacher: By subtracting 579 from that number, you get 2,140 locations left.

In 2023, Kroger made $3.1 billion dollars in revenue, so while the dropping of 579 stores seems like a big number, with the addition of 2,271 Albertsons, this will be the largest supermarket merger in American history.

As far as the big changes that are to come, we are yet to see how those pan out. But when a new owner steps into the building, sometimes things change — and fast.

All Kroger employees of each of the 579 locations were told in advance of the sale and have been given opportunities to transfer within the company.

The list of stores that would be sold under this plan includes 124 stores in Washington, 101 in Arizona, 91 in Colorado, 63 in California, 62 in Oregon, 35 in Illinois, 28 in Texas, 18 in Alaska, 16 in Nevada, 10 in Idaho, 9 in New Mexico, 5 in Wyoming, 4 in Maryland, 4 in Utah, 3 in Virginia, 2 in Louisiana, 2 in Montana, 1 in Delaware and one in Washington, D.C.

But, like a midnight infomercial on TV would say, "But wait, there's more!"

It also includes a dairy plant in Colorado and six distribution centers across four different states. But it's not just Albertsons that Kroger will get in their purchase of Albertsons: They would also require some smaller chain brands that live within the Albertsons umbrella, including Safeway, Carrs, Eagle, Vons, Pavilions, Harris Teeter, Jewel-Osco, Marianos, QFC, Market Street, Tom Thumb, Randalls and Lucky Store.

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today's top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more!