• Cincinnati Enquirer, Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, December 9, 2009 10:48 AM

Kroger's newest Marketplace store, which opens tomorrow in the Newport Pavilion in Cincinnati's urban core, has nearly as much general merchandise as food within its 128,000-square-foot space, Laura Baverman reports. But like all Marketplace stores, it will have expansive produce, prepared foods and meat/seafood sections -- and enough prepared food to satisfy the inner gourmand in all of us.

Chefs in the Bistro section make themed meals daily such as Italian pasta or roast beef as well as made-to-order Boar's Head sandwiches. There are soup, salad and hot foods bars for taking-out or eating-in, as well as a kiosk staffed by a sushi chef. Then there's the grilling station for steaks and ribs and a "chippery," which offers a variety of flavored chips made from organic Canadian potatoes. Chefs continually demonstrate food preparation techniques and offer samples. Did we mention the 168 freezer doors, the on-display cake decorator, and the 23 checkout lanes?

Out West, the Los Angeles Times' Jerry Hirsch reports that Kroger is taking a $1.05-billion write-down on the value of the Ralphs chain it acquired about a decade ago. CEO David Dillon says that shoppers are "more disciplined in their spending" and are trading down to less expensive goods. It probably doesn't help that Ralphs initiated a price war this year -- inviting pushback from Vons and Albertsons -- that has squeezed margins.

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