Kroger Co. Convenience Division (EG Group)

Kroger Co. in 2018 announced that it sold its convenience-store network to EG Group, Blackburn, U.K. (The news occurred after the Dec. 31, 2017, cutoff for CSP’s Top 202.) Prior to the sale, the Cincinnati-based grocery chain operated its 784 c-stores under six banners in 19 states, plus Smith’s Express in Utah. Kroger says its c-stores provide synergies for the rapid expansion of its supermarket fuel centers. Most stores are owned and operated by the company, but some QuikStop Markets in California and Nevada are franchised. The c-stores concentrate on small- to medium-sized towns located near interstates. Two-thirds of the stores are located in towns with fewer than 75,000 residents.

Kroger is one of the largest owner-operators of fuel centers in the United States, selling fuel in 37 states at 2,000 sites, including 1,275 supermarket fuel centers and the c-stores with fuel. Kroger is one of the world’s largest retailers, with 2,638 supermarkets and multidepartment stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under two dozen local banners, including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s.

Source: Convenience Digital Resource Library, Technomic. For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2017.

Photo courtesy of Idawriter.