Kroger Co. hiked prices on milk and eggs more than needed to account for inflation, the company’s top pricing executive testified during a court hearing on the US government’s bid to block the grocery chain’s purchase of rival Albertsons Cos. Cartons of eggs are seen for sale in a Kroger grocery store on Aug. 15, 2022, in Houston, Texas. Kroger Co.
The company’s goal is to “pass through our inflation to consumers,” Groff said in response to questions about his email. In Illinois, where Kroger operates the Mariano’s chain, company executives create a weekly report on egg prices, comparing prices from Walmart, Meijer Inc. and Albertsons’ Jewel-Osco, said Matthew Marx, president of the Kroger division overseeing Mariano’s.In May 2022, for example, both Walmart and Meijer dropped egg prices by 14 cents a dozen, but Mariano’s opted to keep its pricing the same to match the higher price at Jewel-Osco, Marx said.