This week Kroger provided an update on its Restock Kroger framework which was created to reinvent the retailer’s business model.

“Our associates remain relentlessly focused on our customers, who are at the center of everything we do,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Our customer obsession led us to make several strategic decisions three years ago to reinvent our business model to better serve our customers. We believed customers would continue to move to a seamless shopping platform that combined the best of physical and digital experiences. These choices and investments have positioned Kroger to more effectively respond to the pandemic. I could not be prouder of the way our people have pulled together with purpose to promote safety and support our customers and each other. We also share in the grief of so many whose loved ones lost their lives and livelihoods as a result of COVID-19.”

“Through the Restock Kroger framework and intensity around operational excellence, we are achieving cost savings of over $1 billion each year and are investing savings back into the business with an emphasis on the customer and associate experience. We are improving the customer experience by widening and deepening our competitive moats that include fresh, seamless, personalization and Our Brands. These moats are strong today and growing in relevance as customers eat more food at home. We are improving the associate experience by focusing on talent, culture and wage investments. We are living our purpose through our commitments to a world with Zero Hunger | Zero Waste and our framework for action to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in our business and communities.”

“We are creating shareholder value by executing our strategy. We have returned approximately $6.4 billion to shareholders via dividends and repurchased shares since the beginning of fiscal 2017. Kroger is growing market share and our Total Shareholder Return has outperformed the market and our peer group over the last 12 months. And we are incredibly excited for the future.”

Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and chief executive officer

Kroger reconfirmed its 2020 guidance on identical sales, adjusted FIFO operating profit, adjusted earnings per diluted share and adjusted free cash flow.

“Prior to the pandemic, Kroger’s early results in 2020 were strong and while the pandemic has clearly been a tailwind to our business, we’ve been very pleased with the underlying progress with all key components of our model, including sales and market share growth, cost savings initiatives and growth in alternative profit streams,” said Gary Millerchip, Kroger’s chief financial officer. “Based on the strength of our execution against our competitive moats, our food expertise, unparalleled data-insights and expected structural shifts to food consumption at home as a result of COVID-19, we believe Kroger is well-positioned to continue to differentiate and grow in the future. One year on from announcing our Total Shareholder Return target, we are well-positioned to deliver on this commitment.”