<p>Kroger's large-format store roll-out is heating up. Will this help it compete against the Safeway-Albertsons merger?<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Grocery retail giant Kroger will have <b>110 large-format stores</b> by the end of this year, only a fraction of its total 2,640 stores in 34 states, according to Cincinnati.com.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to the report, analysts are predicting that Kroger could build approximately <b>200 more large stores</b> within a few years. However, Kroger has not made any direct statements specifying its plans.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">How much bigger are Kroger's large-format stores? According to the report, the company currently operates <b>11 stores</b> that are <b>over 100,000 square feet</b>. The average size of its stores has been increasing since the company first began.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/kroger_page_041714.jpg" alt="cropped 041714" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/kroger_chart.jpg" alt="cropped 041714" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Wal-Mart has built more than 3,200 supercenters in the U.S. Recently, the company has expanded its smaller-format stores, called Neighborhood Markets, which are about a quarter the size of typical supercenters. Last year, Walmart opened 122 Neighborhood Markets and only 72 Supercenters.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Analysts are saying that Kroger is using a different strategy, emphasizing a broad selection of food with some additional general merchandise, unlike Wal-Mart and Target which are first and foremost general merchandisers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"Yes – Wal-Mart has huge stores, but <b>only 40,000 to 50,000 square feet of that is food</b>, so Kroger has a much bigger, fresher selection and the price is close," said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of New York retail consultant Davidowitz & Associates.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><b>Kroger's share price is up more than 33% since this time last year.</b> The hugely successful retailer obviously knows what it's doing. It remains to be seen how many large-format stores will be rolled-out, but so far they seem highly capable of remaining profitable.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.kroger.com/" target="_new"> Kroger </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
