In addition to hypermarkets and stores like- department stores, 142 jewelry stores, and superstores, the company also operates in the District of Columbia and other 35 states.
The Kroger brand is mainly associated with grocery chains in the Midwest and the South. Kroger stores operate 34 food processing and manufacturing facilities, 1609 Supermarkets fuel centers, 2254 pharmacies, and 224 little clinic medical centers.
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is an American multinational retail corporation, which operates an extensive chain of stores such as – grocery stores and chain of hypermarkets, discount stores, etc. which are headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 1962, Sam Walton founded the Wal-Mart company in nearby Rogers, Arkansas.
Under Wal-Mart, there are around 10,556 stores and clubs in 24 countries, all of which are operating under different names. Alone Wal-Mart employs 2.2 million people making it the largest private employer in the world. Wal-Mart is a family business that is run by the Walton family and the business is publicly traded.
Retail sales at Wal-Mart, the largest grocery retailer in the United States in 2019, accounted for the US $ 510.329billion, 65 percent of its total sales.
When the company expanded beyond the South and lower Midwest in the early 1990s, it was the largest retailer in revenue in the United States by 1998. Originally, the company held stores only in the South and Lower Midwest, but now it has stores all over the country.
Wal-Mart has made the shopping of retail items easy for people by making people pick up their ordered products at the pickup towers. This means that people can easily buy what they want without having to roam around the store or wait in line at the checkout.
Wal-Mart and Kroger comparison
Comparison between Kroger and Wal-Mart can be done on several parameters, some of which are mentioned below:-
Price of the products
In general, Wal-Mart’s grocery prices are about 4 percent lower than those at Kroger’s; however, Kroger’s prices are cheaper when it comes to proteins, dairy, and overall produce. On the most purchased items, Kroger provides discounts on products such as apples, green apples, bell peppers, and baby carrots. Products like- pre-cut produce or organic by-products are costly at Kroger. For the products, like- bananas, spinach, etc., which are sold less are marked expensive by the department. Although Kroger is trying to reduce its prices to compete with Wal-Mart. If a person considers price as the most important factor then Wal-Mart is a good option for the person to buy groceries from.
Quality
The quality of Wal-Mart does not match with Kroger in terms of meat and produce. Many other stores have a better meat quality than available at Wal-Mart. The produce sold at Wal-Mart tends to go bad quicker than that sold at Kroger. Wal-Mart sacrifices its quality for achieving its aim of lower prices. If the quality and variety of food is an important factor then Kroger is a good option for buying groceries.
Variety of products.
The prices of processed foods at Wal-Mart are cheaper; however, Kroger offers more choices. If you like a specific cereal bar that Wal-Mart sells, it will probably be cheaper. Kroger could be a better option for a person who is looking for a better choice of products, both in quality and variety.
Widespread
With more than 5000 locations in the US, Wal-Mart is the largest grocery retailer in the world. It operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, Sam’s club, and small-format stores.
With 2,764 stores, Kroger is the 2nd largest retailer in the country. Despite Wal-Mart having more stores, Kroger covers a greater area, having supermarkets, multi-dimensional stores, warehouse clubs, and convenience stores under 30 banners.
Sales
According to Forbes, Wal-Mart sells more than $ 500 billion worth of merchandise annually. This is no surprise since the company’s prices are low, and they make it easy for customers to shop online for groceries or retail goods. They can have their groceries delivered to them or pick them up without ever having to set foot in a store.
Kroger’s sales, however, are significantly less than Wal-Mart’s, which has approximately $121 billion in sales each year.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that Kroger and Wal-Mart retail chains are among the two of the largest supermarkets in the United States. Here we have compared both the supermarkets based on their prices. We also see that Wal-Mart is bigger and its sales are more than Kroger’s.
Wal-Mart has a limited selection but at a lower price. Whereas Kroger has a variety of products. Conversely, Kroger offers a better quality of fresh foods, as well as a wider variety of processed foods, but it is also more expensive. As Wal-Mart and Kroger both grow their produce departments, Kroger is adding more new stores while Wal-Mart is installing bins and widened aisles to make their produce departments feel more like a farmer’s market.
