HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It was in December that Kroger announced that it was asking for voluntary
buyouts to 2,000 non store employees. At the time the company had a March deadline for those employees wishing to accept that offer.
With the deadline past, Kroger says that around 1,300 employees including some from Dillon’s have accepted the offer. Dillon’s Spokesperson Sheila Lowery says she did not have the exact figures for the area, but did confirm the number of Kroger employees that took the offer.
At the time of the December offer, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullin said that the announcement was made to reduce costs in areas not affecting the customer experience, such as in stores.
Bill Kirk of RBC Capital noted after the offer was made that if the number of employees that take the offer is lower than expected, layoffs could be the next step. No word has come out as to what direction Kroger will take at this time.
Kroger employed about 431,000 workers in the US at the end of 2016.