Dive Brief:
- Kroger is launching a Wine Shop concept at over a dozen of its stores, the grocer confirmed to Grocery Dive.
- The shop-in-shops will sell wines from “acclaimed and emerging producers” and complement Kroger's food and cheese offerings, the grocer noted. The Cincinnati Business Courier, which first reported the news about the Wine Shop concept, noted that the new shop-in-shops will include tasting bars staffed by trained wine stewards.
- Kroger said it is rolling out this new concept in response to growing customer demand for affordable premium and luxury wines.
Dive Insight:
With the new in-store experience, Kroger is looking to highlight the quality, variety and affordability of its wines, tapping into the alcohol category to better appeal to shoppers.
The Wine Shop will launch in 14 Kroger stores in its Cincinnati/Dayton Division, and the grocery company said it will determine if it wants to expand the concept based on shoppers’ responses. The first Wine Shop debuted Thursday at a Kroger store in Newport, Kentucky, according to a Cincinnati Enquirer report.
Last fall, Kroger began identifying stores where customers were seeking out a more robust and premium wine selection, ultimately determining that nearly 150 locations across its banners could benefit from new offerings, the grocer said. For the Wine Shop, Kroger curated a selection of more than 130 wines, with many imported from regions like Chablis and Sancerre in France as well as Sicily and Northern Italy. Kroger also said it is directly sourcing wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux to tap into heightened consumer interest in French wines.
“Customers will notice a more curated shopping experience featuring expanded premium and imported selections, improved navigation by varietal and region, and wine-pairing inspiration throughout the department,” the grocer said in a statement.
Greg Foran, Kroger’s new CEO, has highlighted in recent months the competitive advantages that the grocer can tap into with its store fleet. He has also noted that the company has work to do to improve its store operations as well as enhance the in-store experience at some of its locations.
