If you were planning to get your daily caffeine intake from Fry's, you're not going to be able to pick up a can of Red Bull.
Fry's parent company, Kroger, has confirmed to the Cincinnati Enquirer that it has stopped selling the popular energy drink at all its stores and fuel centers nationwide.
A notice on the Fry's website reads: "Red Bull is currently out of stock while we work with suppliers to keep prices affordable to you."
The Austria-based beverage company sold the last of the product in August, and Kroger officials confirmed to The Enquirer that it removed coolers and displays from stores as of Aug. 31. They declined to explain why the grocer stopped selling the product, even as it continues to sell other energy drink brands, such as Monster,
Alani Nu, Bloom, Rockstar and NOS.
Kroger operates nearly 2,700 stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia. The retailer operates stores under the Kroger banner name as well as Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Pick ‘n Save, Dillons, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Fry’s, QFC and others.
A Fry's representative did not get back to The Arizona Republic at the time of publication. Officials with Red Bull did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Red Bull is still sold at other major retailers, including Walmart, Target, Safeway and Costco. It is also available online through Amazon and other e-commerce sites.
Kroger vows to push back on higher prices amid Boar's Head disruption
The disappearance of the brand follows thepartial vanishing act by premium deli meat brand Boar’s Head in some Kroger brand stores. Kroger operates banner name as well as Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Pick ‘n Save, Dillons, King Soopers, Mariano’s, QFC and others.
It also comes as Kroger’s new CEO Greg Foran has vowed topush back against higher prices from food companies and other suppliers as lingering inflation weighs on shoppers. On a Sept. 11 conference call, Foran said he wouldn’t tolerate vendors “using inflation” to boost their sales when customers were clearly "under pressure."
A former Walmart executive, Foran has pledged to lower prices in his bid to reboot Kroger's sales growth.
Foran also said if Kroger couldn’t find acceptable prices from vendors, the grocer would stock more of its house branded items that generated $39 billion in sales last year, more than a quarter of the company’s total $148 billion in revenue. He added Kroger already plans to expand on value private brand, Smart Way, from about 130 items to 1,000.
Do you have a tip or a question you need answered? Reach the reporter at dina.kaur@arizonarepublic.com. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram @dina_kaur.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona grocer stops selling popular energy drink. Here's why
