Kroger is messing with Texas

The next two years will seeKroger elevate the level of competition in north Texas with an ambitious investment program that comes as Walmart acceleratesexpansion of its smaller format stores.

The nation's leading supermarket operator plans tobuild six new stores and expand three locations, open multiplefuel centers and remodeling existing properties in the North Texas market whereit currently operates 86 stores.



"We're a strong brand and company but we've achieved that status because we're always looking for improvement opportunities. Kroger currently serves 662,000 households every week in the North Texas market with 86 locations and we continue to expand those numbers," said Bill Breetz, president of Kroger Southwest. "We know that price is important to every customer, and at times, can be a deciding factor where to shop. With our Refresh initiative, we're making a multi-million dollar investment to reduce prices across the store and reengaging our employees to offer highly-satisfied customer service."

Kroger has already begun a store refresh program in the region that includes lower prices on thousands of popular food and household items, along with a renewed emphasis on shopping experience, fuel discounts, local products and community relations.



Through the new investment, Kroger has lowered prices on items customers purchase most frequently, ranging from fruits and vegetables to grocery and household staples. National and private label brands are included in the price reduction.



In response to customer feedback, Kroger said it has installed new technology that allows stores to deliver a faster checkout experience. Kroger is striving to have more registers open, especially during peak shopping times, to keep shoppers' wait time to a minimum.