The Kroger Co. announced a rebranding campaign last week. As part of the campaign the supermarket has said it will roll out an additional 58 plant-based items under the Simple Truth label next year, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company introduced 22 plant-based products in 2019.
Kroger’s popular lines such as Simple Truth, Private Selection, HemisFares achieved more than 30% of unit sales this year, a figure that is expected to increase, according to Market Watch. The company also announced a new $1 billion stock buyback program. Kroger shares reportedly soared 11.3% in today’s trading.
Kroger also launched JUST Egg across 2,100 of its stores this August, a key move in the positioning of JUST Egg as the prominent market player. JUST Egg reported to vegconomist last month that sales are better than nearly half of all shelled eggs, and that as of this October, the company had sold the plant-based equivalent of 15 million chicken eggs.
“Fresh and friendly underpin Kroger’s new brand identity, because product quality and the total customer experience — across physical and digital — are key to bringing our brand promise to life,” explained Mandy Rassi, Kroger’s vice president of marketing. “Kroger’s new brand celebrates our love of people and our love of food, cutting through the ‘sea of sameness’ that has beset grocery retail advertising for far too long. Having a more consistent and recognizable brand enables Kroger to stand out and engage our customers in an even more compelling way.”
