#freshforall

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Cost Advantage

Competitive advantage is a choice to be exercised, not experienced, meaning that successful leaders are proactive in creating their competitive advantage before experiencing the pain of another firm’s advantage being leveraged on them. Competitive advantage can be the result of several factors: “ size differences and economies of scale; size differences and diseconomies of scale; learning curve economies; differential access to factors of production; and technological advantages independent of scale” (Barney, pg. 176). Cost leadership is also a factor to take into consideration - the choices of the c-suite can create critical ripples to promote and encourage cost savings initiatives and thought processes throughout the organization.

Kroger Co. has been able to see and enjoy sizable growth over the past 10 years by differentiating their product lines, establishing in-house lines, and diversifying their production models. Each step taken has created savings for the company that allows investors to profit. 

Looking at manufacturing, Kroger, per their 2019 Fact Book, has 35 manufacturing plants that create 33% of the products sold in their stores nationwide (pg. 19). This is an incredible margin since 1/3 of their items sold in stores are manufactured by themselves they are able to cut significant costs in purchasing and sourcing, streamline the distribution across channels, and reduce external factors that can negatively affect manufacturing. Looking ahead, it would be a safe bet to assume that in the future Kroger would look to bring in even more of their manufacturing in-house to bolster their production factor.

Zooming in on the micro level and looking at product offerings, in 2013 Kroger introduced two new in-house brands, Simple Truth and Private Selection, bringing their in-house “our brands” to a total of three with the inclusion of the ubiquitous Kroger house brand. In 2019, over 16,000 out of about 45,000 products stocked in their supermarkets are one of the three brands mentioned. Again, we are seeing the thirds rule in effect: by supplying themselves with 1/3 of the brands stocked, Kroger primes themselves to be the product picked by consumers. There isn’t a mention as to the diversity of products, i.e., if there is a Kroger brand for every item, but it would be safe to assume that there is a Kroger brand alternative for a vast majority of products. This puts Kroger in the position of having their brands chosen with greater frequency, especially with a lower price point than non Kroger brands. According to the 2019 Fact Book, the sales demonstrate that point with Kroger brands exceeding $23.1billion out of the $122.29billon in total sales (pg. 13). 

If Kroger continues to manufacture brands in-house and create cost savings for themselves they are primed to see an increase in their brands sales and continue their march to cost advantage over other supermarkets.

Sources:

- Kroger Fact Book 2019

- Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011, pg. 61. [VitalSource Bookshelf]

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A Simple but Profound Solution to Food Waste

http://img.youtube.com/vi/_08KANY1JBE/0.jpg

       Sometimes the best ideas are the most simple.

In an age where technology is ever-evolving and often responsible for the latest inventions, it can be easy to forget that even the most basic of ideas can add up to massive change.

But it’s accessible, small steps that our food system needs now, more than ever, if we want to see a global shift. Food waste, in particular, is one of the biggest problems of our food system that desperately needs new solutions.

Think of just one head of lettuce: It takes lots of water, manpower, and resources to grow, then it’s picked and transported in a refrigerated truck, moved to a refrigerated cooler, and you take your car to go to the market and buy it. That’s a lot of resources that are all for nothing if that head of lettuce goes bad and gets thrown in the trash before you have a chance to enjoy it.

Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy has the answer for this common problem, one that is making huge impacts on our food system from farm to fork.

Kavita Shukla is the Founder and CEO of The FRESHGLOW Co. and the inventor of FreshPaper, a simple innovation taking on the massive global challenge of food waste by keeping food fresher, longer. FreshPaper is used by farmers and families across the globe, and The FRESHGLOW Co. has partnered with some of the largest retailers in the world, from Whole Foods to Walmart so that people everywhere can take advantage of this incredible product and the goodness of real food.

Here’s more of what you can expect on this week’s episode:

How Kavita’s visit to see her grandmother at the age of 12 inspired her to learn about the power of spices and botanicals (3:00)

Why Kavita began using paper as the material for preserving produce (7:10)

How FreshPaper works and its journey from a local farmers’ market to being sold in hundreds of stores in the U.S. and globally (8:30)

Making fresh produce more accessible (16:30)

Why food waste is such a big problem and how reducing waste makes fresh produce more affordable (19:40)

Inserting FreshPaper into various stages of the produce supply chain (29:54)

Protecting the nutritional density and taste of produce (34:57)

How food waste contributes to climate change and how our individual actions can make an impact (45:35)

Why Kavita is optimistic about the future of reducing food waste (51:45)

The importance of highlighting female entrepreneurs and CEOs (57:53)

Follow FreshGlow on Instagram @freshglowco and on Facebook @freshglowco.

Try Fresh Paper and take 30% off your order by visiting freshglow.co and entering the code FRESHFORALL at checkout.

I know you’ll be as inspired by her story as I am, I hope you’ll tune in.

Wishing you health and happiness, Mark Hyman, MD

[Read More ...] https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/08/21/podcast-ep68/

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VRIO: Very Resource Intensive Outlook

A firm’s organizational strengths and weaknesses can help to provide a sort of star chart for the c-suite. Using their current coordinates, can they successfully navigate themselves into new territories and financial gains? Can they successfully steer themselves from operational icebergs and competitive hyenas? What are the most important attributes that can help organize a course to success? 

VRIO is a framework that “builds most directly on the resource based view of the firm and on two critical assumptions: that firms have different resources and capabilities (the assumption of resource heterogeneity) and that these differences can persist over time (the assumption of resource immobility)” (Barney, pg.146). This framework utilizes four questions that can help determine the competitive potential of the organization. See the table below from Barney for the questions that make up the framework:

Based on these questions, let’s answer for Kroger:

1. Yes. As seen most recently with COVID-19, Kroger was able to swiftly react to (literal) environmental threats and create varied shopping opportunities for customers.

2. No. From a US perspective, grocery stores are not a rare commodity. This is from a macro perspective - if getting into particulars of cities or neighborhoods, that answer can change due to food deserts and remote areas.

3. Yes. If Kroger had not been able to implement click-list style shopping where consumers can order online and have their groceries available for pick-up or delivery, they would lose a significant market share.

4. Yes. All Kroger policy and procedures are designed to push products and to entice shoppers. However, a serious process improvement inquiry may find weak spots to be improved.

Based on these answers, Kroger has competitive parity in the larger grocery store market. VRIO can help to translate prophecies into profits. 

Sources:

- Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011, pg. 61. [VitalSource Bookshelf].

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What is Strategy?

Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011, pg. 5. [VitalSource Bookshelf].

Kroger’s Strategy

Kroger is a brand familiar to those living in the mid-south and is the parent company to dozens of other chain groceries around the United States. Kroger’s origins are humble as the Great Western Tea Company founded in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Quickly, Mr. Barney Kroger evaluated his strategic choices and was able to pivot from simply tea to other dry good groceries.  In 1901, Mr. Kroger established a bakery, thus serving as his own supplier and driving down costs. The company later came to own many other food-processing facilities. The chain had grown to 40 stores by 1902, when it was incorporated as Kroger Grocery and Baking Co. Kroger bought a meat company in 1904 and set up its first in-store meat departments, thus taking its customers another step closer to one-stop food shopping.

The rest of the 20th century saw Kroger’s rapid expansion past the home base of Cincinnati and into the rest of United States with the accrual of other, smaller, chain and fresh grocers. Today, Fortune ranks Kroger as #20 in the top 500 companies with a current revenues north of $121million and with more than 500,000 employees. 

____

Chapter 1 of our textbook reviews an organization’s strategy for success and how organizations take in external and internal inputs in order to modify and grow. Often, strategies are reflected in organization’s mission statement, values, or core beliefs. Sometimes, pathways are naturally derived from an organization’s strategy but sometimes organizations are forced to pivot and use emergent strategies in order to remain viable and successful. 

Kroger’s history suggests that the original strategy put forth by Mr. Kroger has successfully laid the foundations for their current path. According to the Kroger website, Kroger’s values are: honesty, integrity, respect, diversity, safety, and inclusion. These values are quite current and favorable in recent times and it will be interesting to see how their values continue to propel their growth in a sustainable fashion. Their values do not seem focused on the goods that they sell but are more focused on the company’s interactions with their employees and consumers. This is an interesting tactic as it shifts the focus away from their product and shifts the focus more towards the brand of Kroger itself. With a staggering array of ways to procure groceries (in-person, on-line, through 3rd party vendors), companies like Kroger seem to be understanding that the shift in purchasing power will come from how well or thoroughly individuals identify with the company’s values, or at least portrayal of their values. One example of Kroger proliferating a more consumer focused tact is with their current marketing campaign of animated or cartoon figures shopping. These characters are diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, and accessibility and are aimed at creating a feeling of shopping at Kroger that is less transactional and more natural. 

At first glance, it would appear that Kroger’s strategy is simplistic in that they work to be a company with the strategy of acquiring the most square footage possible in order to reach the largest number of shoppers. However, upon inspection, it would appear that Kroger is adept at utilizing an emergent strategy of branding and consumer awareness in order to create psychological and emotional ties to the brand to propel consumer loyalty.

Sources: 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kroger-Co

https://fortune.com/fortune500/2019/kroger/

https://www.thekrogerco.com/about-kroger/

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Bring(ing) Home the Bacon

The Kroger’s C-Suite knows where, how, and why the bacon is made. Now, it seems like it’s their turn to bring it home. Although not completely diversified, Kroger is a large enough entity for their divisions and division chiefs to be split by region and subset. As Barney notes, traditionally, compensation is only loosely tied to economic performance (357) and may be more of an interpersonal factor between the CEO and the board of directors. It seems as though Kroger CEO, Rodney McMullen, has certainly made an impression on his board of directors. 

As reported by a local news source in Cincinnati (home to Kroger HQ), McMullen made 483x more than the median pay of an Kroger employee in 2019. Other members of the c-suite shared in the $7.5million bonus payout due to the $1.1billion in savings that McMullen helmed as part of “Restock Kroger” initiative. 

In previous years, Kroger has used net operating profit as it’s the “performance metric” tied to bonuses. But Kroger’s board changed that approach in 2018, in a move that boosted bonus awards. Kroger’s approach suggests that there may be some performance based metrics to be met. 

It will be interesting to see how 2020 will play into the bonus structure and if any of the diversification efforts like the purchasing of Home Chef and move into ‘ghost kitchens’ will pay off dividends during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sources:

- Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011. [VitalSource Bookshelf]

- https://www.wcpo.com/money/local-business-news/kroger-co-beefs-up-bonuses-for-highest-paid-bosses

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Diversification on the Horizon

The Kroger Co. is an inherently slim and streamlined corporation - they focus on the manufacturing and selling of food products (and outliers, like gas, gift cards, etc). Thus far, they have been able to capitalize on vertical integration in order to reduce margins and increase profits. However, for The Kroger Co. to continue to see growth in their profits and in their earnings portfolio, diversification may be on the horizon.

In December 2019, Kroger announced be the launch of four delivery-only kitchens — also commonly known as ghost kitchens — in partnership with a startup called Clustertruck. With this new service, customers who live within the applicable delivery radius will be able to go to Kroger’s website, and choose from a variety of prepared meals to be delivered directly to their home. Kroger said that customers won’t be charged a service or delivery fee, and that orders prepared by Clustertruck are delivered, on average, in 30 minutes or less.

Delivery-only kitchens helps Kroger address two issues: one, it gives Kroger another offering to convince customers to buy dinner from a grocery store, instead of going out to eat.  Second, it also provides a more cost-effective way for Kroger to deliver prepared meals to customers, since the company won’t be opening a full-service restaurant.

In 2019, Kroger also purchased meal kit subscription company, Home Chef, hoping to tap into a diversified revenue stream. However, interest in these services have waned.

Staying within the realm of food is a good idea for diversification with or without Kroger’s name attached to the services. If Kroger is able to diversify and then implement their own distribution channels within the services, they will be able to yield maximum output from their production facilities. 

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has yet to release the torrent of data that may or may not have affected Kroger’s attempts at diversification but when the horizon clears, it will be clear that in order to diversify profit margins, new approaches to fresh will be in order.

Sources:

- Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011. [VitalSource Bookshelf]

- https://www.modernretail.co/retailers/to-grow-kroger-is-diversifying-beyond-grocery/

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Climb the Vertical Integration Ladder

Vertical integration for The Kroger Co. has been a valuable form of governance for the company almost immediately as the benefits outweigh its costs (Barney, pg. 273). For The Kroger Co., by keeping manufacturing and production in-house, they are able to cut ancillary costs and increase the added value spectacularly.  

The Kroger Co. owns 38 plants that manufacture approximately 40 percent of its private brands, including about 60 percent of its center-store items. Nineteen plants are dairy, 10 are bakery (including two that also manufacture deli products) and the remaining make grocery items. The plants are strategically spread across the country and located near Kroger’s divisions. Kroger operates all of the plants except two meat plants — one in Colorado and one in Southern California, both of which it owns but outsources operations.

Manufacturing its own private brands is a competitive advantage for Kroger for several reasons, one being that it provides the company with “incredible sourcing power,” says Erin Sharp, Kroger’s group vice president of manufacturing. The bigger the buy, the better leverage the company has (Storebrands.com).

“By manufacturing our own products, we lower our costs and pass the savings on to our customers,” Sharp says. “We constantly monitor our costs to ensure we are delivering high-quality products at a competitive price.”

All the dairy plants are 100 percent vertically integrated, which allows Kroger to be faster to market with products.

Kroger is also investing in other areas of private brands such as apparel and floral. In October, Kroger opened its own restaurant, Kitchen 1883, which features a fresh take on new American comfort food. If The Kroger Co. is able to source, manufacture, distribute, and then use their own products in a restaurant, they would be able to reach the top rung of the vertical integration ladder. At that point, is it still vertical integration or would the term be monopoly?

Sources:

- Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011. [VitalSource Bookshelf]

- https://storebrands.com/crowning-kroger

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Collusion All Around

The competitive world of grocery may be one of the last bastion for regular old consumer driven rivalry. General grocery stores are not really in a position where they can engage in explicit or tacit collusion as they sell a wide array of products (specific brand only stores, like Trader Joe’s, may be a different story, however). Grocers must rely on market pricing and consumer tendencies in order to gain their advantages.

Kroger tends to be a price leader for the grocery industry which helps to create a sense of law of order that could enable possible collusion (Barney, 262). When suppliers are looking to introduce new products to market, they will aim to be aligned with the pricing points that are already sold at Kroger. This makes their product more attractive to distributors and the purchasers as they already have an understanding of the margins involved. 

Unverified tacit collusion could be the in keeping large inventories and order backlogs (Barney, 263). Kroger could very well keep large inventories in order to keep prices stable - this may be soon to come if COVID-19 continues to disrupt supply chains.

Collusion in grocery seems to come from the providers of medication, seafood, and other distributed commodities. When multiple producers begin to inflate prices, Kroger and other grocers allege collusion and price-fixing. On the visage, it seems as though Kroger is taking care of it’s customers by fighting for fair pricing but, really, Kroger is looking out for their bottom line. If similar products are undercutting Kroger pricing, then consumers will most likely choose the cheaper option. If similar products are too expensive, consumers may be driven to alternate sources of the goods, like Amazon. 

Although Kroger may not be privy to direct collusion, they are in a precarious position that requires them to be on the lookout for collusion from other companies. 

Sources:

- Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011. [VitalSource Bookshelf]

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Flexible Inflexibility

Flexibility and real options would seem to be the enemy of Kroger. As a behemoth of a company, creating flexible lanes and channels would more likely than not prove to create chaos and not generate the expected positive outcomes. There appears to be little uncertainty in the world of grocers: customers will, under normal circumstances, will always need to purchase food goods and supply chains tend to be fairly stable. If uncertainty presents in the supply chain, grocers would seek to eliminate any uncertainty and seek the option to lock in optimal conditions. So, inherently, if “flexibility is valuable under conditions of high uncertainty” then flexibility wouldn’t need to be employed by Kroger (Barney, 225).

Customers depend on Kroger to remain rigid to a certain degree - they may expect some variety but it does not come close to creating flexibility within the market itself. Flexibility in the form of changes to the goods offered may create confusion for consumers and reduce their loyalty if there cannot be some semblance of normalcy (Barney, 224). 

Fascinatingly, COVID-19 has presented uncertainty for both Kroger and the consumer. Unexpected changes in the supply chain created a chance and need for Kroger to explore flexible options but without the infrastructure to be nimble, Kroger was unable to pivot quick enough. Stores were depleted of certain items and remained with continued low inventory for multiple weeks (CNBC). Interestingly, Kroger passed the onus of flexibility onto the customer in terms of their purchasing choices (CNBC). This is a fascinating tact as it has the potential to seriously backfire - if a consumer is continuously faced with out of stocks with their preferred vendor, they may choose to switch their loyalty and shop somewhere else. However, this is an unique situation with COVID-19 since so many of the same vendors and suppliers were negatively affected and the same problems presented in other grocery stores. It will be interesting to evaluate the data of shopping preferences and loyalty after COVID-19 and try to learn if the inflexibility of Kroger had any adverse effect. 

It seems unlikely that Kroger will choose to incorporate aspects of flexibility into their pricing, stocking, or front-facing consumer options but there is a real opportunity for them to evaluate other flexibility options. Due to the pandemic they may see a need for certain distributors or manufacturing plants to be able to pivot and adjust production as needed. They may also do analysis that suggests a need for diversification in order not to face the same shortages. Consumers (for grocery stores) tend to be typical and predictable but there is always an opportunity for a surprise or uncertain situation to arise. Flexibility seems to be unlikely in the future for Kroger but they may find the need arise when other, more nimble competitors create paradigm shifts. 

Sources:

- Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011. [VitalSource Bookshelf]

- https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/06/kroger-ceo-customers-will-have-meat-during-pandemic-if-they-are-flexible.html

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Product Differentiation

How can a grocery store differentiate themselves from other grocers? For Kroger, their differential is the size, price points, product offerings and customer perception. Combined with extensive market research that to help localize stores, Kroger is able to lower the barrier to customers and provide significant differentiation from other stores. 

Kroger asserts itself as not a cost saving experience but as a one-stop shop that can fit the budget of any shopper. In Memphis, that helps to differentiate themselves from budget grocers like Cash Saver and Super Lo and from high end grocers like Fresh Market, Whole Foods, and Trader Joes. Part of this financial differentiation is also due to customer perception and interaction. 

Kroger is able to capture key consumer data through their loyalty card program that converts the analysis of over 60 million consumer households into the dispensing of over 1.6 billion personalized coupons (Fact Book, pg. 15). This kind of data is invaluable to Kroger - they are able to tailor their marketing, product offerings, and gain key insight into spending and shopping habits across the United States. Data management is useful to Kroger’s marketing campaigns but also to their key stakeholders as they can give valuable information to other suppliers on quantities of goods needed per market creating margin stability.

Kroger’s marketing, including their new “Fresh for All” campaign aims to present Kroger as a store for all people, regardless of status. Kroger’s store placements also indicate key research and differentiation by making sure stores are in areas with a high enough income level to support their shopping styles and habits. One habit identified is the desire for the consumer to finish all of their shopping in one trip. Easy Way, a local Memphis chain of fresh produce stores, went out of business recently, partially due to the death of the owner but also cited were the competitive costs of Kroger. Easy Way could no longer compete with the price points and consumer demands - people wanted to shop in one store instead at multiple stores. 

It will be fascinating to watch how Kroger will differentiate once if and when there are no more new markets to enter or dominate. They will be forced to differentiate in new and exciting ways...hopefully at the benefit to the consumer.

Sources:

- Kroger Fact Book 2019

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Evaluating Environmental Opportunities

Heading any sized organization requires one-part real world analysis and one-part soothsaying ability in order to remain competitive and build long lasting success. The measure of the two parts is very much aligned to the focal point of the organization and the overall industry; a novel industry may require advanced soothsaying prior to emerging in the market while a long-standing industry may require little soothsaying in the beginning but an increase when looking to diversify or grow the market share.

Inherently, grocery stores are a mature and competitive industry, as they provide an essential service and have been able to flourish in the last century as a global mainstay. There are disrupters in online ordering and direct food to home services but, by and large, grocery stores are a part of the fabric of American life. For grocery stores, like Kroger, to remain competitive they can isolate specific markets and stores to ensure that they are providing goods to demographics based on survey and purchasing data. According to Barney, grocery store shoppers are more likely to stay a consistent customer in order to save time and mental power when looking for goods (pg. 84). The same could be said for a particular brand carried or if sale prices can be expected on items or goods. If an organization is able to keep customer-switching costs high, then they would be able to preserve their customer base.

Customer-switching costs are a blend of real life pricing and the perceived cost that is an evaluation of time and energy. A high customer-switching cost would mean that it costs the customer too much perceived mental costs and too low financial savings to switch their customer loyalty to a new store. Stores with low customer-switching costs are those that cannot keep competitive pricing and do not offer any other saving in the form of time or energy. Grocery stores, like Kroger, also provide additional incentives to keep customer-switching costs high with the bonus points accrued that can be redeemed to lower gas costs and other perks.

In a hypothetical world, Kroger could help themselves in analyzing their environment and creating incentives for customers to switch by exploring alternative versions of their flagship store. For example, they could create a miniaturized version that still sells quality goods but could be located in smaller neighborhoods that may not need as robust of a shopping experience. Or, in neighborhoods with specific dietary or cultural identities, stock shelves with more directed and culturally relevant items. For example, in a neighborhood with a large population of orthodox Jews, the Kroger store would have a majority of goods be Kosher certified and imported good from Israel and other mediterranean countries. In Tennessee and parts of the south, Kroger could also diversify and amplify their alcohol sales by creating a more robust tasting area and tailoring offerings to their clientele. This would take some upfront cost in market surveys and analysis but would yield tangible profits as well as a stronger tie to customers and strengthen the loyalty base.

Until a device is created that can accurately predict the future, firms will need to be able to pay attention to current markets while keeping their pulse on anticipated customer needs.

Sources:

- Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011, pg. 61. [VitalSource Bookshelf].

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Constant Vigilance

The design of commercial grocery structure, at first glance, seems centered around the consumer. There are a plethora of providers and suppliers that can cross interstate lines in order to provide the same products across the nation. Grocery stores frequently change their goods to match seasonality and buying habits of their consumers. However, upon further inspection, its appears that the consumer is one of the last entities to be consulted when it comes to product availability, safety, and pricing. The FDA, USDA, and more than 3,000 state, local and tribal agencies have primary responsibility to regulate the retail food and foodservice industries in the United States. This means that grocers must navigate a complicated industrial web in order to maintain a competitive edge on their rivals. In addition, traditional in-store grocers are seeing an increase in competition from online providers like Amazon and direct food service providers like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron.

In a new and rapidly changing environment, Kroger has spent billions increasing digital ads, digital access like online and app based shopping, and alternative ways of matching grocery industry disrupters. In addition, Kroger has one of the strongest lobbying forces in Washington, D.C, and is able to maintain competitive parity and stress their economic importance to constituents across the country.

For Kroger, there is a constant need to vigilant of their market, competitors, suppliers and consumers. According to Barney, the grocery industry hits all of the key attributes that increase the threat of rivalry as seen below:

Attributes of an Industry That Increase the Threat of Rivalry:

1. Large number of competing firms. 2. Competing firms that are the same size and have the same influence. 3. Slow industry growth. 4. Lack of product differentiation. 5. Productive capacity added in large increment

Traditional grocery stores and large scale wholesale suppliers (Costco, Wal-Mart) thrive off of some of the regulation mismanagement in that they are able to navigate political channels somewhat easier than smaller and local grocery stores.

Prior to COVID-19, Kroger was working to decrease rivalry and increase their market share by continuing to expand their footprint and purchase smaller, regional grocery store chains. They benefitted from the slow industry growth and demand for change. The purchasing power was in the hands of the stores, not the consumers.

During COVID-19, Kroger has had to rapidly shift some of their online ordering capacities, human, and resource management in order to fulfill the needs of the crisis. In addition, federal regulations are making the grocery store supply crunch worse as there is confusion as to labeling of goods. Not to mention, the ethics and morals of how to provide a safe environment for employees and shoppers. Commercials for Kroger showcase their efforts to comply with CDC guidelines but employee comments suggest that not much action has been taken. 

Now, the purchasing power lies in the hands of the consumers as they are able to witness first hand the ways that different stores and suppliers are behaving during a pandemic. Prior to COVID-19, more than half of American food expenditures was at restaurants and commercial dining establishments. Since April, that margin has shifted considerably as consumers are forced to buy groceries and dine at home. 

It would appear that Kroger has benefitted immensely during COVID-19 and has been able to gain some leverage on their rivals. Time will tell if this competitive advantage will remain strong post-pandemic or if they will need to shift again in order to maintain industry power. 

Sources:

https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements/retail-food-protection

https://reason.com/2020/04/20/federal-regulations-are-making-the-grocery-store-supply-crunch-worse/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-14/grocery-rivalry-hot-as-ever-a-year-after-amazon-whole-foods-deal

Barney, Jay B. Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Pearson Education (US), 2011, pg. 61. [VitalSource Bookshelf].