Kroger Officially Launches New Grocery Program

Kroger is one of the most widespread retail grocery store chains in the country, and each day, thousands of Americans rely on them for their grocery shopping needs. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Kroger Co. has more than 2,700 stores across the U.S. under a range of banner names, according to the company. Kroger also operates 35 food production or manufacturing facilities that produce private-label products, so they go beyond just selling other company's products.

Now, Kroger has announced that it's launching a new program in nearly 2,700 stores that will give customers nationwide access to their groceries in as little as just an hour.

Kroger Launches New Program Oct. 1

On Oct. 1, Kroger announced a new partnership with DoorDash in the form of "expansion of their relationship to bring Kroger's full grocery assortment, including fresh food, exclusive Our Brands products, and affordable everyday essentials to customers."

"Through the expanded relationship, Kroger will make shopping easier for customers, leverage the company’s growing store network in new ways, and attract new households and incremental shopping occasions," the company said in a statement.

The news means that customers will get on-demand delivery from DoorDash, as well as all the benefits and deals of shopping at Kroger. Staring on Oct. 1, customers are able to shop Kroger's full grocery line across banners like Mariano's, Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Harris Teeter, all using the convenient DoorDash app. They'll also find "Kroger deals, everyday affordability, and loyalty program discounts seamlessly integrated into the DoorDash app."

“Customers are looking for more convenient ways to shop at their local Kroger store, and delivery is an increasingly important way they engage with us. We want to provide customers what they want, how they want it, without asking them to compromise on value," Yael Cosset, executive vice president and chief digital officer for Kroger, said in a statement.

"With Kroger now on DoorDash nationwide, millions of customers can shop the largest grocer on our platform with the convenience of on-demand delivery," Prabir Adarkar, president and chief operating officer of DoorDash, adds.

The move will likely pivot Kroger into an even bigger grocery business. Right now, Kroger makes $13 billion a year digital business, which makes up around 9 percent of the company's total sales revenue, so any moves to increase their digital footprint should help make Kroger an even bigger digital company. Kroger's most recent quarterly report said that the company's delivery sales went up 20 percent so far this year, while the growth of its digital sales went up 15 percent.