Kroger to Merge Multi-Employer Pension Funds

The company said this new arrangement is expected to reduce Kroger’s annual pension contribution expense and will secure the pension benefits of more than 65,000 Kroger associates. The consolidation of the four pension plans into one will provide greater stability of future benefits for Kroger associates, reduce administration costs and enhance the prospects for future returns.   

At the same time, this initiative enables Kroger to cost-effectively fund its contributions by taking advantage of the current low interest-rate environment. The agreement also establishes a pension benefit formula through 2021, which concludes collective bargaining with these 14 UFCW local unions on this subject for the next 10 years.   

“Given the challenging environment that exists for pension plans today, we are pleased to have reached an agreement that provides a meaningful future benefit for Kroger associates who participate in these plans,” said Mike Schlotman, Kroger’s chief financial officer. “The unique characteristics of these plans, coupled with our strong financial position and today’s low interest rate environment, give us the ability to contribute to the new fund in a manner that we expect to produce significant future savings.”   

Pending market conditions, favorable discussions with the rating agencies and the approval of three remaining UFCW locals, Kroger expects to contribute approximately $650 million to the new fund in January 2012.