Kroger Plans Hometown Store Revamp

Store renovations planned by the Kroger Co. could mean new job position available at four supermarkets around its headquarters city.

The Cincinnati-based grocer is planning to spend about $15 million to renovate the stores, on Ferguson Road in Westwood, Miami Avenue in Madeira, Montgomery Road in Montgomery and Martha Layne Collins Boulevard in Cold Spring, Ky., according to published reports. Work at the Westwood and Montgomery locations is scheduled for the first half of 2011, while plans are still being finalized for the Madeira and Cold Spring stores.

The renovations are all interior changes and are not expected to add to the stores’ overall footprint, said Kroger spokesperson Rachel Betzler. The store renovations likely will mean increases in employment, depending on the design for each store, Betzler said; past renovations have resulted in as many as 50 new employees.

Additionally, Kroger is expected to soon start demolition of its Corryville store to make way for a new market. Betzler said Kroger is working on a contract with Covington, Ohio-based Anchor Properties, which owns University Plaza, to start redevelopment, according to published reports.