Kroger: Promotes Rech to President

          


            
Media Contact:     Gary Rhodes, The Kroger Co. (513) 762-1304

Investor Contact:  Kathy Kelly, The Kroger Co. (513) 762-4969
               
          
          KROGER PROMOTES RECH TO PRESIDENT OF NASHVILLE KMA 

CINCINNATI, OH, July 16, 1999 -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) today announced
that Thomas B. Rech has been promoted to president of the Kroger Marketing
Area (KMA) in Nashville, Tennessee, following the retirement of Mark
Thompson.

Mr. Rech, 51, previously served as executive vice president of the
Nashville division, a position he had held since last September.  Before
that, he was vice president of operations for the Louisville KMA.  Mr. Rech
joined Kroger as a part-time store clerk in 1966.  He earned a B.S. degree
from Georgetown College.

Mr. Thompson, 63, spent his entire career at Kroger, joining the Company in
1960 as a management trainee after his graduation from Indiana University.  
He held a variety of management positions and, in 1984, he was named vice
president of the Nashville division.  Mr. Thompson was promoted to
president of the Nashville KMA in 1990.

"Mark Thompson has played an important role in the growth and success of
Kroger's operations in the Nashville area, and we'll miss his valuable
contributions," said Joseph A.  Pichler, Kroger chairman and chief
executive officer.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kroger is the nation's largest retail
grocery chain.  Following the recent merger with Fred Meyer, Inc.  Kroger
now operates 2,206 grocery stores, 798 convenience stores, 380 fine jewelry
stores and 43 food processing facilities.

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