Kroger laying off less than 1,000 corporate employees
The Kroger Co. is reducing administrative staff across the U.S.
As part of structural changes to its administrative teams, the grocery conglomerate is making what CEO Ron Sargent called a "meaningful number of associate reductions" in a corporate memo Kroger forwarded to Chain Store Age.
"In the past few months, we have all looked for ways to simplify the organization, shift resources closer to our customers, and focus on work that creates the most value," Sargent said in the memo. "Through this work, we have updated many of our priorities and stopped projects that were not directly helping us to run great stores."
Calling the role reductions part of an effort to “keep the positive momentum” going, Sargent said Kroger will grow and reinvest savings in areas that drive its strategy and benefit customers directly, including:
- Reinvesting directly in stores to reduce prices.
- Adding hours for store associates.
- Building up real estate capabilities to support new store growth.
A Kroger spokesperson said fewer than 1,000 jobs will be affected by the layoffs.
In its first-quarter earnings release in June 2025, Kroger revealed it plans to close approximately 60 locations during the next 18 months and expects a “modest financial benefit” from the closings it will reinvest back into the customer experience.
[READ MORE: Kroger to shutter 60 stores by end of 2026]
The corporate layoffs come roughly eight months after Kroger and Albertsons called off their $24.6 billion merger amid regulatory pushback. And in March, Kroger's former chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen resigned following a board investigation which found that his personal conduct was "inconsistent” with Kroger's policy on business ethics.
The Kroger board at that time tapped lead director Sargent, the former chairman and CEO of Staples, to serve as chairman and interim CEO. Other recent corporate moves include settling a lawsuit filed by C&S Wholesale Grocers earlier this year, and laying off roughly 200 employees at its Cincinnati headquarters in February.
The Kroger Co. operates approximately 2,800 stores under a variety of banners across the U.S., including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick 'n Save, Metro Market and Mariano's. The mid-Atlantic division of Kroger operates more than 100 stores in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio.
