KROGER

Nielsen’s SVP consumer and shopper insights Todd Hale points to Kroger’s loyalty card as one of the best examples of consumer data aggregation. “Not only do you save money when you use their loyalty card, but you [also] save money no matter where you shop,” he said of Kroger’s 1-2-3 Rewards Visa Card, which is linked to its loyalty program.

That catapults actionable shopper data to an entirely new level — Kroger knows what its best customers are buying from other retailers.

The battle to capture and retain customers in a world where price, convenience and even customer service have become commoditized is in full swing. “The risk is you end up in a loyalty war [where] companies begin to use the loyalty scheme or the loyalty component of [the card] as another form of price escalation,” warned Bryon Pearson, president of LoyaltyOne and contributing editor to Colloquy, a magazine that has covered the loyalty marketing industry since 1990. “The intelligence that sits behind these programs is where the real value is,” he said.

CINCINNATI — Kroger on Wednesday announced a pair of executive appointments — Marnette Perry will assume the role of SVP strategic initiatives and operations, while Michael Ellis has been named SVP retail divisions. 

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — With shoppers looking for ways to buy things more conveniently, it's clear that the age of the multichannel consumer is well under way, and retailers would be wise to respond in kind. Many of them have already done so.

According to retail consulting firm Upstream Commerce, convenience ranks at the top of reasons why consumers shop online, and as recent news has shown, this is just as true for supermarkets as it is for anyone else.

MINNEAPOLIS — While Supervalu has completed its overhaul of its value proposition across its Jewel-Osco banner, the grocer will be analyzing the impact before replicating the price repositioning across its entire chain, the Minnesota-based supermarket chain announced Thursday morning. "We continue to have a market-leading price position amongst conventional food retailers in three markets," Wayne Sales, Supervalu president, CEO and chairman told analysts during the second-quarter conference call.

HAMILTON, Ohio — Kroger has extended a pharmacy call center pilot project with Koncert IT through February 2013, according to a report published Tuesday by JournalNews. 

"Right now [Kroger is] looking at possible infrastructure expansion in the event that it continues to move forward," Walt McLaren, president of Koncert IT, told JournalNews. 

CINCINNATI — Over the course of a day-long investor conference Tuesday, Kroger outlined its future growth strategy. Across its physical store base, Kroger plans to enter one or two as-yet-to-be-named new markets along with boosting presence in existing markets. But Kroger also has significant designs on the multichannel consumer, and outlined for analysts the grocer's plan to grow its marketshare across the digital landscape as well.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has launched its annual hunger awareness campaign, which is expected to generate $4 million in cash and food donations this year.

The Bringing Hope to the Table campaign, which kicked off Sunday and will run for two weeks, is designed to assist 80 local food banks — which are members of Feeding America — in communities where Kroger's customers and associates live and work. Since 2006, Kroger has contributed $30 million in food and funds to local food banks through the annual campaign.