Closing the gap For the past year or so, Kroger has trailed Walmart (NYSE: WMT), its main competitor, in several key growth metrics. In a recent press release, CEO Rodney McMullen said, "Our strategy of leading with fresh and accelerating with digital propelled Kroger to record performance in 2021." "We continue to deploy a wide array of tools [to fight inflation]," McMullen explained in a conference call with Wall Street analysts, "including our owned and operated fleet."