Kroger is enhancing its wine selection and installing tasting bars at 147 locations nationwide. The Cincinnati-based grocer will also staff the select locations with trained stewards to guide shoppers’ wine browsing experiences. Kroger kicked off the program today in Newport, Ky., as reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, though it did not specify the additional outposts that will offer the program.
The retailer boasts over 2,700 locations in 35 states and identified 147 locations where customers demonstrated a demand for an improved selection of foreign and premium wines. In addition to sampling bars and trained staff, the program’s locations will receive upgraded refrigerators and display cases. In the past, Kroger has offered its beverage teams courses from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), one of the foremost alcohol certification programs in the U.S., which is likely to be the training benchmark for the new program’s staff.
