Kroger Honors 81 Outstanding Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Businesses

CINCINNATI, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Kroger Co. today honored 81 outstanding minority-owned and women-owned vendors for 2004.

The Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) were nominated by corporate and division buyers and merchandisers. The honorees were selected for the second annual award based on several criteria, including quality of product or service, innovation and presentation of new ideas, performance, and sales volume. The firms fall into two categories: those that provide retail products or services for sale in Kroger's stores, and not-for- resale products and service. In 2004, Kroger spent approximately $780 million with M/WBEs.

Established more than 25 years ago, Kroger's supplier diversity program helps M/WBEs analyze their business capabilities to determine whether their products or services fit within Kroger's corporate strategies and the market as a whole.

"Supplier diversity plays an integral role in Kroger's strategy, and we're proud to honor the talented partners that have helped us in all aspects of our business," said Don McGeorge, Kroger president and chief operating officer. "Our goal is to be sure that Kroger's suppliers reflect the broad diversity of the customers and marketplaces we serve."

The following companies were honored: A.C.E. Sushi Company - fresh sushi Action West - Brokerage services perishables All-American Meats - Ground beef supplier American Fish & Seafood - Seafood products Andy's Seasonings, Inc. - Breading for meat and seafood items AVI Food Systems, Inc. - Vending machine services/provider Bayou City Fish Co. - Fresh and frozen seafood BE & SCO Manufacturing - Flour tortilla equipment, department design Blaine Pharmaceuticals - Magnesium supplements Bob 'N Jays - Barbecue sauce Bodacious Foods - Cheese straws (cookies) Cacique USA - Hispanic cheeses Ciriza Food Sales, Inc. - Food broker Classic Foods, Inc. - Kettle Classic potato chips Coast Produce Company - Produce consolidation services Con-Real Inc. - Construction services/general contractor Cooperative Exterminating - Pest control services Covansys - Information technology contractor staffing services Crafty Carr's - Novelty floral items Crystal Company - Orchids Debbie Lynn, Inc. - Stationery products Essen Nutrition Corp. - Pre-mixed spice blends Freight Handlers of Utah - Lumper and janitorial services Frieda's, Inc. - Specialty produce Georgia Vegetable Company, Inc. - Fresh produce and vegetables Golden Eagle Growers - Foliage and outdoor bedding plants Greenwood Greenhouse - Bedding plants and poinsettias Gulf States Plumbing - Plumbing services Haley Industrial Coatings & Linings, Inc. Halligan Electric, Inc. - Floor coatings Hannah Max Baking - Specialty cakes and desserts Harlem Lyrics Enterprises, Inc. - Ethnic greeting cards HealthSeekers Enterprises - Bean sprouts and greens Heide & Company - Beauty care items Heil-Brice Retail Advertising - Advertising services Henry's Dream, Inc. - Salsa - Tejano salsa products Ice Tubes, Inc. - Cylindrical shaped ice cube trays Innovative Marketing, Inc. - Graphics, printing, multimedia advertising Islands Bakery - Salsa J. Primm & Associates - Brokerage services Jazz Turf Management - Grounds maintenance Kansas Fire Equipment Co. - Fire system inspections and service Kansas Lumper Service, Inc. - Unloading services La Voz de Indiana Newspaper - Bi-weekly Hispanic newspaper LaTortilla Factory - Tortilla products Lifeway Foods - Yogurt dairy drinks Lulu's Dessert - Ready to eat desserts M Bruenger Trucking Company - Transportation services Maquez Brothers - Manufacturer and distributor of Mexican food products McCanless & Company - Brokerage services for pet food ingredients Megen Construction - General contracting services Melissa's World Variety Produce - Fresh produce and organic foods Micro One, Inc. - IT consulting services Millers Bar-B-Que - Baked beans Motive Power Services - Battery room services Najdek Produce - Shredded carrots Nest Fresh Eggs - Cage-free eggs/organic eggs P&B Salsa & Services - Processing equipment sales and installation Palmer Promotions - Promotional and special event items and services Phyllon Marketing Communications - Advertising/marketing/design services Pinnacle Investigations - Background services RB Stroud & Associates - Consulting services Reggio's Pizza, Inc. - Frozen pizza Reliable Service Company - Repair services for fixtures, check stands Roof Management, Inc. - Consulting services Rose Gonzales Plants, Inc. - Custom garden baskets, upgraded plants Ruiz Foods - El Monterrey brand Mexican snacks Sarkisian Coffee - Specialty coffee Sasaki Farms, Inc. - Leaf lettuce, bok choy and napa cabbage Solomito Land Planning - Surveying, land planning consulting services Sopra, LLC - Gourmet pasta sauce - Milazzo brand Staffworks, Inc. - Freight handling services T&B Electric, LTD. - Electrical contractor The Silverhart Group - Brokerage services for seasonal, everyday GM Topete/Stonefield, Inc. - Marketing/advertising/PR and translation services TWT Distributing, Inc. - Procures/distributes ethnic HBC products Uloth & Peavler LLP - Legal services Uncle Wiley's, Inc. - Spices and seasonings VM International - Houseware goods Worksite Consultants - Pre-employment drug testing, physicals, etc. Wrap Art, Inc. - Fabric gift bags for bottles

For more information about these 81 M/WBE vendors and Kroger's supplier diversity program, please visit our website at http://www.kroger.com/supplierdiversity.htm.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kroger is one of the nation's largest retail grocery chains. At the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2005, the Company operated (either directly or through its subsidiaries) 2,515 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 32 states under two dozen local banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, King Soopers, Smith's and Smith's Marketplace, Fry's and Fry's Marketplace, Dillons, QFC and City Market. Kroger also operated (either directly or through subsidiaries, franchise agreements, or operating agreements) 791 convenience stores, 431 fine jewelry stores, 559 supermarket fuel centers and 42 food processing plants. For more information about Kroger, please visit our web site at http://www.kroger.com/.