(Bloomberg) -- Kroger Co. wants to help out with your wardrobe.
The largest U.S. supermarket chain is launching an apparel line that it pledges will be “playful, simple and uplifting.” It will be sold in 300 stores, including Fred Meyer and Kroger Marketplace locations.
Robert Clark, the company's senior vice president of merchandising, said the brand “gives Kroger a chance to inspire and connect with our customers, offering effortless style every day,” according to a statement.
The company is under considerable pressure to find a winning formula -- the value of Kroger shares has dropped nearly 40 percent this year through the close of trading on Thursday. Battered by food deflation and discounts, it has seen sales slump and profit margins erode.
With competition intensifying and Amazon.com Inc.'s expansion onto Kroger's home turf, the company is experimenting with new ideas. It is investing in technology as shoppers move online and has opened a restaurant. It may also sell off its convenience stores, which generate about $4 billion in sales.
With nearly 2,800 stores, Kroger has insisted it's well-positioned to compete with Amazon and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the host of other grocers it battles across the country.
To contact the reporter on this story: Craig Giammona in New York at cgiammona@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Roeder
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