Kroger Plans to Cut About 3,000 Corporate Roles Over Three Years

Kroger plans to eliminate about 3,000 corporate roles over the next three years, a reduction of roughly 37% of its corporate workforce as the grocery chain seeks to lower prices and invest in frontline workers.

CEO Greg Foran told employees in an Oct. 12 memo that the company must adapt as technology changes how work gets done. He described Kroger’s business as becoming leaner and more focused.

The company has not named the departments or roles affected, or estimated how much the reductions may save. Kroger plans to begin communicating decisions about affected roles in the coming months.

Kroger outlined artificial intelligence uses on Sept. 22, including demand forecasting, personalized savings offers and tools to help associates. The company did not connect those applications to the planned role reductions.

Kroger operates more than 2,700 stores and has about 409,000 employees. It has not provided a specific price-reduction target tied to the corporate changes.