What it is
The Kroger Co., filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 31 March 2026 for the year ended 31 January 2026.
The annual report’s business description states that alternative profit streams contributed 1.5 billion dollars of operating profit in 2025 and describes them as growing, high operating margin businesses, including data analytic services and third-party media revenue. Our Brands, the company’s own labels, represented over 39 billion dollars of sales. E-commerce sales grew 17%.
“High operating margin” is the company’s own characterisation; the filing gives no margin figure for these businesses and no total for what suppliers pay toward promotions.
What the commerce leader should take from it
- On a company with about 4.9 billion dollars of adjusted operating profit, 1.5 billion from selling data and media to suppliers is close to a third. The supplier’s money now rides on what the household sees.
- Own brands at over 39 billion dollars are more than a quarter of sales. The shelf tag and the online price decide whether the shopper sees them priced against the national brand.
- The filing says nothing about whether the price the shopper sees online matches the shelf. That is the benchmark’s measure, in finding 1.4.
Where to start
Finding 1.4 uses it for how much supplier money depends on the promotion showing wherever the shopper buys. One promotional calendar for the store and the digital channels, and a weekly check of fifty weekly-ad items against five stores, is the decision that protects it.
Keep in mind
The margin on alternative profit is characterised, not disclosed, and the filing gives no total for supplier promotional funding.