Major grocery chain to lay off nearly 1,000 workers amid store closure plans

One of America’s largest supermarket chains, Kroger is laying off around 1,000 corporate associates after announcing store closures.

A source familiar with the situation told Reuters that fewer than 1,000 employees are impacted and does not affect people working in stores, manufacturing facilities or distribution centers.

“In the past few months, we have all looked for ways to simplify the organization, shift resources closer to our customers, and focus on work that creates the most value,” said Kroger’s interim CEO Ron Sargent, in a memo seen by Reuters.

Kroger, which has employed over 409,000 people since February, confirmed in the memo that it will reinvest the savings into other areas, including lowering prices, opening new locations and creating store-level jobs.

The corporate layoffs are the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures by the grocery store chain.

In June, Kroger announced its plans to shutter 60 stores over the next year and a half but added that employees will be offered roles at other stores.

Kroger operates in 16 states and has a total of 1,239 locations, the bulk of which are located in Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia and Ohio, according to its website.

Kroger did not respond to MassLive’s request for comment.

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