<p>Kroger is looking to <B>expand its organic and natural food sections</b> in response to growing trends toward local and organic products. Kroger spokeswoman Jackie Siekmann said that the company will be tailoring remodeled stores to fit these preferences, according to Cincinnati Business Courier. This comes at a time when local food sourcing and organics are becoming increasingly important to shoppers, especially in terms of produce.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> According to a survey conducted by Market Force Information recently, <B>Kroger was ranked number 7</b> in a list of North America’s favorite grocery store chains. It was preceded by Trader Joe’s, which ranked first, Publix, Aldi, Costco, Hy-Vee, and H-E-B. <B>Take a look at the full list below.</b><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/grocery-2014-g1.jpeg" alt="cropped_053014" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Trader Joe’s topped the list thanks to its <B>local and organic offerings</b>, so does Kroger see greater opportunity in attracting shoppers with expanded organic sections in-store? Check out this graph from the study which shows the <B>most prevalent organic products purchased</b>. The Market Force study concludes that more than half (59%) of the 6,247 shoppers surveyed said that local sourcing of meat, produce, and dairy products is important or very important, and 65% are more likely to buy these products if they’re locally sourced. Moreover, the main reasons given for purchasing organic were <B>“better nutritional value, better quality, and absence of GMOs.”</b><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/grocery-2014-g4-organics.jpeg" alt="cropped_053014" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Will Kroger’s expanded organic sections be enough to entice more shoppers to its stores? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we keep track of the latest industry trends.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://ir.kroger.com/CorporateProfile.aspx?iid=4004136" target="_new"> Kroger </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
