The Kroger Co. and Walgreens announced Tuesday (December 4) that the two are expanding a pilot announced in October to introduce Kroger Express and Home Chef retail meal kits.
In a press release, the two companies said the concept will offer 2,3000 Our Brands and national products such as meat, dairy, grocery and meal kits. “We are redefining the customer experience in a variety of ways through Restock Kroger, including innovative partnerships like our test-and-learn pilot with Walgreens. We are excited to enter the next phase of the pilot,” said Robert Clark, Kroger’s senior vice president of merchandising, in the press release. “The Kroger Express concept creates easy access to our most popular Our Brands products through a fill-in grocery shopping experience for Walgreens customers, and our Home Chef Express meal kits provide customers with an on-demand solution for tonight’s dinner.”
Kroger Express, which is a curated assortment of 2,300 products — selected using customer data and insights provided by Kroger subsidiary 84.51° — will be offered at the 13 Walgreens test stores in Northern Kentucky, near Kroger’s Cincinnati headquarters. “We’re pleased to continue working together to explore new concepts that expand product selection to provide a better shopping experience and greater value for our customers,” Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of operations, said in the same press release. The first concept is operational in Florence, Kentucky, with the remaining 12 pilot stores up and running early next year. The stores participating in the pilot, which was announced in October, offer a one-stop shopping experience where customers can access products from both brands and order groceries on kroger.com for pickup at Walgreens. Kroger Express marks an expansion of the original offering.
Separately, Kroger announced that Home Chef Express meal kits are now in 65 Walgreens locations in the Chicago area. The expansion into Walgreens stores in Chicago extends the reach of Home Chef Express products, which are available at certain Kroger Family of Stores, including select Mariano’s stores in the Chicago area. During the pilot, Walgreens will offer three Home Chef Express meal kit options, with recipes rotating bi-weekly.