KROGER CONTRIBUTES $129 MILLION TO COMMUNITIES AND CHARITABLE CAUSES IN 2001

CINCINNATI, OH, June 26, 2002 -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today announced that it contributed $129 million to local communities and charitable causes in 2001.

These contributions – which include donations made by Kroger and the Company’s three foundations, employees and through in-store fundraising – provided much-needed financial support to thousands of local schools, hunger relief agencies, youth sports teams and non-profit organizations in communities where the Company operates stores or manufacturing facilities. Kroger donated an average of nearly $2.5 million per week last year to local communities and organizations.

“Kroger recognizes the importance of investing in the communities where our associates and customers live and work,” said Lynn Marmer, Kroger group vice president of corporate affairs. “We encourage our retail divisions to work closely with our customers, schools, food banks, youth programs and non-profit groups in their local communities. In this way, Kroger gives back something to the people and neighborhoods that have given us so much.”

Kroger focuses its charitable giving in five key areas: being a “good neighbor”; hunger relief; education; advancement of women and minorities; and women’s health. Among the charitable programs that Kroger sponsored last year:

• Neighbor to Neighbor programs are operated in all Kroger divisions in which cash and product donations are made in response to customer requests to support youth activities, Scout troops, children’s reading programs, and other local non-profit organizations.
• Kroger divisions also work closely with more than 40 regional food banks affiliated with America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. Last year the Company partnered with Second Harvest to create the Grocery Alliance, a company-wide initiative to increase food donations through multiple approaches.
• Fundraising for schools and local organizations – Kroger divisions donated $18 million to local schools and charitable organizations through our Gift Certificate sales and rebate programs. This is Kroger’s largest community activity, with thousands of schools and other organizations in Kroger markets participating.
• Employee donations and in-store fundraising resulted in $38 million in contributions to support September 11 relief efforts, local United Way campaigns, children’s hospitals, and a wide range of local charities.
• More than 2,000 grants totaling $5.4 million were awarded in 2001 by The Kroger Co. Foundation, Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation and the Fred Meyer Foundation. Grants are made to local organizations located in communities where the Company has operations to support the Foundations’ charitable priorities.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kroger is one of the nation’s largest retail grocery chains. At the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2002, the Company (either directly or through its subsidiaries) operated 2,429 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 32 states under approximately two dozen banners, including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, King Soopers, Smith’s, Fry’s and Fry’s Marketplace, Dillon, QFC and City Market. Kroger also operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) 780 convenience stores, 436 fine jewelry stores, 268 supermarket fuel centers and 41 food processing plants. Last year, Kroger contributed $129 million to support education, hunger relief and local non-profit organizations in the communities where the Company operates stores or manufacturing facilities. For more information about Kroger, please visit our web site at www.kroger.com.

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