Paninos, kombucha among Kroger's private label standouts

Drinks and snacks sold under Kroger’s Simple Truth brand are hitting the mark with shoppers, said Kroger Co. chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen during its 3Q earnings call Thursday.

“A few on-trend examples are protein snacks such as Private Selection and Simple Truth Paninos, which are imported cured meats wrapped around a creamy cheese, as well as handcrafted and real sugar sodas,” he said.

Kroger’s natural and organic sales continue to outpace total sales growth and its Simple Truth private label line maintained double digit momentum, he said. Among the category standouts are functional beverages.

“We’ve also recently launched a 24-pack Simple Truth Vapor Distilled Water with Electrolytes,” he added. “It’s priced fantastically. It’s a great product and it’s selling really well.”

As more customers focus on digestive health, Simple Truth Organic Kombucha is likewise very popular, noted McMullen.

“Our produce, fresh prepared and deli packaged departments, sushi, Starbucks, wine and liquor sales all saw comparatively strong growth during the quarter as well. If you can drink it or snack on it, it’s selling,” he said.