You might not know that Kroger® is expanding. The company recently announced that it agreed to purchase Harris Teeter Supermarket Inc®. I don't know if Harris Teeter® will maintain its banner name like other acquired chains have (Ralphs®, Food4Less®, Fred Meyer®, Smith’s®, Dillon’s®, Fry’s®, King Soopers®) or change its name. The announcement did state that the new division will continue to operate out of North Carolina. This structure is similar to the existing nonbanner stores that maintained divisional offices versus having Kroger’s® general office in Cincinnati run everything. I don't foresee existing Harris Teeter® shopper profiles changing, but if they do, I think they will skew toward a higher-income shopper with higher expectations. I think this because the store-brand items will switch to Kroger® private labels, and this acquisition increases Kroger's® buying power, forwarding shoppers better prices and/or higher-quality products. In addition, these shoppers will be in an exploratory state and more open to trying new things. This is a great time to develop or improve relationships with these shoppers.
Click here for link to Washington Post article
