Kroger Says It Will Spend $5 Billion Through 2029 Lowering Prices, With New Everyday Shelf Prices at About 250 Stores by the End of 2026

Kroger says it will spend $5 billion through 2029 to make its prices lower and easier to understand. The first new everyday shelf prices are set to reach about 250 stores by the end of 2026, with hundreds more stores following in 2027.

The grocer laid out the plan on October 20, 2026, at an investor update in New York. For families who shop at Kroger or one of its sister banners, the change is less about flashy sales and more about the regular price on the shelf.

What Kroger announced in New York

Kroger’s own investor update presentation lists a $5 billion investment in value under a goal it calls making value more visible. The slides describe the target result as “Prices customers can count on, every trip.”

The company’s press release filed with the SEC frames the plan around winning with customers, growing digital sales and running the business more efficiently. Chief Financial Officer David Kennerley said in that release that the company is delivering customer value in a “fully self-funded way.”

The plan comes from CEO Greg Foran, who ran Walmart’s U.S. business from 2014 to 2019, according to 24/7 Wall St. That outlet reported Foran told investors the plan “is not about being the cheapest.”

About 250 stores first, then a wider rollout

Kroger is not changing prices everywhere at once. Its presentation shows the new pricing reaching about 250 stores by the end of 2026 and about 700 stores by the end of 2027. That works out to roughly 450 additional stores in 2027. A broader rollout is planned for 2028 and 2029.

The company says it will move market by market. It plans to start where it already has scale and a strong local banner, and to make cost savings land before prices change. Kroger also says it can adjust the pace based on results. Kroger has not said publicly which specific markets or stores come first.

That means a family’s Kroger may not see the new shelf prices right away. Shoppers in early markets could notice changes before the end of 2026, while others may wait until 2027 or later.

Simpler deals instead of complicated coupons

A large part of the plan is cutting back on confusing promotions. FoodNavigator described shelf tags showing three prices for one item, such as $3.99 regular, $2.99 with a digital coupon and $1.99 when buying six or more. Foran said, “Customers had to work too hard to take advantage of them.”

Kroger’s slides say the company will reduce complex promotions, drop ones that do not perform and sharpen everyday price points. Sales will not disappear entirely. Chief merchant Mary Ellen Adcock called current promotions too complex but said Kroger will keep running them with less emphasis, Retail Brew reported.

For a parent juggling a weekly list, the practical shift could be fewer multi-item deals and more items that are simply priced lower each visit. Families who rely heavily on stacking digital coupons may want to compare receipts once the change reaches their store.

Store brands, loyalty and early test results

Kroger is also leaning on its own brands. Grocery Dive reported plans for about 1,000 new Smart Way value items over the next few years and a goal of raising private label share from 35% to 40% of sales. For families who already buy store brands, that means more lower-cost options on the shelf.

The loyalty program, which Kroger says serves 65 million households, is getting a new Kroger credit card, a paid delivery membership tier and a way to use rewards on either groceries or fuel, according to the presentation.

Kroger says early tests are encouraging. Adcock said stores that ran the new pricing for a full year grew sales about 230 basis points faster than the rest of the chain, according to 24/7 Wall St. Kroger’s slides also show a 200 basis point gain in visits as the approach spread in early 2026. In plain terms, shoppers at those stores spent more and came in more often.

How Kroger plans to pay for it

Kroger says the $5 billion will be funded by moving money out of complex promotions and by cutting costs across the business. The presentation targets about $4 billion in annual cost savings, with about $2 billion expected from buying goods more cheaply.

Part of that savings involves corporate jobs. 24/7 Wall St. reported that Kroger will cut about a third of its corporate roles over three years, affecting roughly 37% of about 8,200 corporate employees. Kroger’s presentation says expanding its capability center will affect about 3,000 corporate roles over time. Store jobs are not part of those corporate cuts.

The plan is a bet that lower everyday prices will bring shoppers back from rivals. Earlier coverage from Supermarket News noted Foran described cost cutting as a multiyear program done by geography, which matches the gradual store-by-store rollout. For families, the clearest sign will be the shelf tag itself: one price, without the math.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Harrison Keely – CC BY 4.0/Wikimedia Commons