Kroger plans to eliminate about 3,000 corporate positions over the next three years, a reduction of roughly 37% from its approximately 8,200-person corporate workforce. The cuts will affect corporate roles rather than store or distribution jobs, and the company expects to begin notifying employees about specific positions in the coming months.
CEO Greg Foran outlined the plan in an internal memo, saying Kroger has too many organizational layers, handoffs and overhead. He said technology, including the company’s expanding artificial-intelligence program, would help reduce duplicated work, support faster decisions and move resources closer to customers and frontline employees.
Kroger has been pursuing broader cost savings and modernization under Foran, who became CEO in February after leading Walmart’s U.S. Earlier this year, Kroger said productivity gains and cost reductions would help fund lower prices, stronger store staffing, e-commerce expansion and investments in new stores.
The job reductions come as Kroger faces pressure from Walmart, Costco, Aldi, Lidl and Amazon, while its proposed merger with Albertsons remains tied to litigation after courts blocked the deal. The company has not disclosed which departments will be affected or how the cuts will be distributed across its offices.