While the rest of the retail industry hunkers down and waits in vain for AWOL shoppers to return, Bay Area grocery chains are battling it out in a full-fledged price war that shows no sign of ending.
In fact, fighting is about to escalate, which is good for consumers.
News that America's largest grocery store chain, Cincinnati-based Kroger Co., will be bringing two new stores to Oakland will certainly add fuel to the competitive fire.
Nearly two weeks ago, the city of Oakland announced that Kroger plans to open two 72,000-square-foot stores under the retailer's Foods Co. banner. Beyond offering shoppers another option, the grocery giant's plans are noble on the surface.
Both proposed stores would be in East Oakland, an underserved grocery market, and the one slated for Foothill Square will fill the void left by Lucky's and Albertson's that closed several years ago despite efforts to keep them. The other store would be built at 66th Avenue and San Leandro Street, in a former cannery now owned by the Oakland Redevelopment Agency. The cannery would be demolished to make way for the new building. Each store would employ roughly 100 people.
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