What’s in Kroger Shoppers’ Holiday Baskets?

Retailer shares top-selling and most-searched items ahead of final seasonal push

12/20/2022

Kroger reports that rib roast is one of the top holiday meal proteins this year.

Consumers are rushing home with their treasures, as the carol goes, and many of them are foods for festive celebrations. As the holiday season peaks this week – and traffic in some parts of the country is picking up ahead of a predicted wide-swath snowstorm – The Kroger Co. has provided a peek into its shoppers’ charts.

According to Kroger, the biggest movers include gourmet and specialty cheeses. The retailer reports that it is providing more than 1.6 million pounds of cheese to holiday hosts this season and preparing 900,000 deli trays. The gruyere variety is having a particular good year as a top seasonal cheese for the holiday season.

As for center-of-the-feast proteins, Kroger shares that ham and rib roasts are the most popular meats. Shoppers are also showing a penchant for traditional side dishes made with russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, asparagus and brussels sprouts.

Baking appears to remain a perennial pastime this time of year, as searches for butter, heavy cream, sugar and cookies are among the top searches on the retailer’s website. Other top search terms include Christmas candy, Christmas tree and prime rib, along with branded Gournay Cheese flavors and Boar’s Head Honey Chèvre Goat Cheese.

"This time of year, our customers look for that special ingredient to recreate a nostalgic dish, prepare a traditional meal to enjoy with loved ones or perfect a delicious spread to entertain their dearest friends," said Stuart Aitken, SVP, chief merchant and marketing officer for Kroger.

As last-minute shoppers stock up on groceries, Koger is touting all of its shopping options, including in-store assortments, pickup service and delivery via its Boost by Kroger Plus membership program that offers food and fuel perks.

Serving 60 million households annually nationwide through a digital shopping experience, and almost 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, Cincinnati-based Kroger is No. 4 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.