PORTLAND, Ore. – January 25, 2010 – Associates with Fred Meyer Stores, a division of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), have ratified a new contract with the United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 555 in Portland, the company said today.

The new four-year agreement covers 3,000 Fred Meyer Associates who work in 27 stores in the Portland metropolitan area.

“We are pleased that our associates ratified this agreement, which provides quality jobs and high quality health care for our associates and their families,” said Mike Ellis, president of Fred Meyer.

About Fred Meyer:

Fred Meyer Stores, based in Portland, offers one-stop shopping at its 130 multi-department stores in four western states. Nearly 30,000 Fred Meyer associates help customers fill their food, apparel and general merchandise needs in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Stores carry more than 250,000 products under one roof. Additionally, Fred Meyer donates more than 5 million pounds of food to food banks in its four-state market and contributes more than $5 million to communities across the Northwest each year through grants from the Fred Meyer Foundation as well as product donations, cash donations and sponsorships. For more information, please visit www.fredmeyer.com.

About Kroger:

Kroger, the nation’s largest traditional grocery retailer, employs more than 326,000 associates who serve customers in 2,469 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s. The Company also operates 773 convenience stores, 392 fine jewelry stores, 850 supermarket fuel centers and 40 food processing plants in the U.S. Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, and local organizations in the communities it serves. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.

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