Kroger will no longer send its paper weekly ad circulars announcing the latest grocery specials and plans to phase them out across all brands by year’s end, the company confirmed.
According to a statement from Kroger:
“Kroger is joining many retailers in shifting the way our weekly ads are distributed. Printed copies will still be available in our stores for customers to peruse. Customers can also view our ads in the Kroger mobile app or at Kroger.com when they are planning their weekly grocery trips.”
Ads for Kroger stores as well as its subsidiaries, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, and King Soopers, will now shift online. Printed copies will still be available in stores.
Last month, Kroger had initially said it would get rid of weekly ad mailers only in the state of Michigan, but recently the company said on Twitter that it would be ending its print mailers due to declining newspaper circulation as well as the number of newspapers either eliminating their print editions, or going out of business altogether.
In March, Giant Eagle announced it would be ending its mailed circular in Pittsburgh, where the company is headquartered. But just one month later, it reversed course, saying it was bringing the mailer back.
At the time, according to reporting from CBS News Pittsburgh: the company said the print copy of the circular will highlight “the strongest promotions” and customers can scan a QR code to go to the Giant Eagle website to see more weekly sale items.
