Engrossing SWOT Analysis of Kroger – One Of The Well-Known American Retail Companies

Quick Stats on Kroger

Founder	Bernard Kroger
Year Founded	1883
Origin	Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
No. of Employees	465,000
Company Type	Public
Market Cap	$ 32.92 Billion (2021)
Annual Revenue	$ 121.16 Billion (2019)
Net Income/ Profit	$ 3.11 Billion (2019)

 

Products & Services by Kroger

• Supercentres
• Superstores
• Supermarkets
• Supermarket Fuel Centres
• Department StoreS
• Jewellery Stores
• Pharmacies

Competitors of Kroger

• Target
• Walmart
• Amazon
• Costco
• Dollar General
• Rite Aid
• Kroger
• Albertsons

Now that we understand the company’s key business, let’s look after the SWOT Analysis of Kroger.

SWOT Analysis of Kroger

SWOT Analysis of Kroger is a basic method that can help a company examine what it does best right now and develop a successful future strategy. It exposes the areas where people are holding back or how competitors may profit.

With the growing neck-and-neck rivalry in membership warehouses, it is critical for organizations like Kroger to examine the business environment.

To better understand the SWOT analysis of Kroger, refer to the infographic below:

Now first let’s begin with the strengths of the company from the SWOT analysis of Kroger.

Strengths of Kroger

• Huge Business: Groceries, organic foods, jewellery, petrol, pharmacy services, and home items are just a few products and services offered by Kroger. Customers may come in and receive a lot of what they need in one place thanks to this one-stop shopping.
• Famous for Variety of Stores: Kroger also has a variety of store formats to select from, allowing customers to focus on what matters most to them. If they want to get a good deal, they will probably go to one of the price impact shops. They might go to a mixed market if they are looking for organic or high-end things. The company has grown to become the leading grocery store operator in the country due to its wide range of products and store types.
• Effective Marketing Campaigns: Kroger has made a campaign to establish its products in recent times, including in the organic market. In the year 2015, these products contributed to about half of overall revenues.
• Strong Brand in the USA: The simple reality is the company’s label is one of the most popular in the United States. Kroger profits from all these products because they typically have larger margins than conventional grocery items.

(Kroger Sees More More Digital Sales Growth in Pandemic, Source: Supermarket)

• Seamless Digital Presence: Kroger represents a seamless digital experience for its customers in the US. Even in lockdown, through orders on its e-commerce page, Kroger was delivering fresh groceries at doorsteps with delivery in as little as 30 minutes.

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• Private-label Products: The company’s success including its private-label products also has given it a superior negotiating power with distributors. Kroger has been able to preserve its leadership position in an increasingly competitive grocery market in the United States because of these products. 
• Educated Employees: Exceedingly skilled group of workers through a hit education and gaining knowledge of applications. Kroger is investing in the education and improvement of its employees ensuing in a group of workers that isn’t always only surprisingly professional, however, additionally stimulated to reap extra.

Weaknesses of Kroger

• Higher Debt: Compared to many competitors, Kroger has a very high debt load. It has $9.6 billion in debt on its balance sheet, at the end of the calendar third period which ended on November 5th. This amounts to around 62% of total capital. This high level of debt may limit Kroger’s capacity to secure additional funding, limiting its potential to acquire new businesses. The pressure on the bottom line will continue to be pushed by high-interest charges on the debt. 
• Price Drop of Few Products: Falling costs for numerous essential supermarket items, such as eggs, milk, and meats have impacted Kroger’s recent results. There is a cumulative effect because all these items are major components in preparing foods. The price downturn is expected to extend into this year, although management does not believe it will last forever.
• Deflation Environment: They recognize that this is a problem that the grocery industry as a whole is facing. As a result of the deflation environment, competitors in the sector have continued to compete on price. They observe that the company’s biggest line has been harmed by continuous softening in fuel prices, which does not affect some of its competitors because many of them do not offer fuel.

Opportunities for Kroger

• Increasing Brand Value: Customers have reacted positively to Kroger’s recent appearance in the organic goods market. Many consumers are growing more interested in health and wellbeing, and as a result, they are seeking out natural and organic foods and beverages.
• Expansion in Private Labels: Kroger’s brand has been increasing its line of these products. Kroger has quickly established itself as a strong competitor to segment leaders such as Whole Foods Market (WFM) and sells most of these items at lower pricing. Within a few years, we believe Kroger will overtake Whole Foods as the leader in organic and natural foods. 

• Digital Enlargement: Kroger just launched ClickList, the service that allows users to order and purchase over 40,000 products online and pick them up at a company store. Many people, particularly parents with small children, have found the service to be ideal. As more consumers shop for groceries online, this platform which has already proven to be a huge success should become an even bigger element of the company’s overall strategy. 
• Overseas Expansion: Deliberate overseas expansion plans across different countries can amplify the business of Kroger.

Threats to Kroger

• Extreme Competition: The grocery store industry is highly competitive, with fierce price competition, industry segmentation, rapid expansion, and non-traditional competitors entering the market. Walmart and Target (TGT) are two of these non-traditional companies that have been boosting their food-related sales. These large stores profit from cost savings and can gain even more leverage by lowering prices.
• E-commerce Stores:  Kroger’s revenue may be impacted when these stores expand their food offerings. Traditional online retailers such as Amazon.com have also grown their position in the online grocery business, posing a threat to Kroger’s new e-commerce activities.
• Seasonal Alterations: The demand for notably worthwhile products is seasonal and any not likely occasion during the height season may also impact the profitability of the organization in the short to medium term.

This ends our engrossing SWOT analysis of Kroger. Let us conclude our learning below.