Dive Brief:

• Kroger will offer extra savings opportunities and free items to shoppers enrolled in its Boost membership program for a two-week period starting Wednesday, the grocery chain announced Monday.
• The retailer will also reduce the cost of an annual Boost membership by half during the promotion, which will run from July 10 to July 23.
• The promotion comes as Kroger strives to demonstrate a commitment to value ahead of a crucial court hearing on its plan to combine with Albertsons.

Dive Insight:

Like other grocers, Kroger has been striving for months to demonstrate to shoppers that it is focused on helping them save money — but the company’s efforts to focus on value are especially significant in light of its ongoing campaign to show that its merger with Albertsons would be good for consumers.

A federal court is scheduled in late August to begin considering whether to grant a request by the Federal Trade Commission to block the merger. The agency filed suit in February to stop the deal on the grounds that it would be anticompetitive.

Kroger emphasized that the limited-time savings program set to start this week, known as “Boost Bonus Days,” would enable members to save as much as $60 on private label goods and other products. The retailer did not specify the items that will be included in the promotion nor how much shoppers will be able to save on individual products.

The company said shoppers enrolled in Boost will be able to get certain products at no cost during the program, including private label cold cereal, pasta, spices, cookies and sandwich bags.

Kroger’s Boost membership program provides shoppers with benefits such as free delivery, double fuel points and two online appointments with a nutrition expert. The company claims that people can save up to $1,000 on groceries, fuel and delivery charges if they meet certain thresholds, including spending $91 per week on groceries.

The company said last year that Boost had helped shoppers save $115 million in the program’s first year. Kroger launched Boost in late 2021.

Kroger ordinarily charges $59 per year for free next-day delivery and $99 annually for no-fee delivery in as little as two hours. The company will reduce those charges by 50% for shoppers who renew or start an annual membership in Boost while the promotion is in effect.