Kroger

RANK21

During a time of high inflation and supply-chain issues, grocery chain Kroger remained competitive by focusing on its digital infrastructure; the company reported in 2021 that its e-commerce sales had grown by 113% over the previous two years. Investors benefited from the continued pandemic boom in grocery sales, with Kroger shareholders earning a total return of 45% in 2021. Some Kroger workers, however, felt left out: In a survey of more than 36,000 Kroger employees, published by the Economic Roundtable in January 2022, about three-quarters reported suffering from food insecurity. (Kroger has characterized the survey as misleading and says that it pays wages and benefits higher than those of its retail peers.)