US grocery retailer to launch ethanol filing stations in Ohio

New York (Platts)--6Jul2006


US retail grocery chain The Kroger Co. will begin selling E85 ethanol
fuel at stations in central Ohio beginning in August, the company said
Thursday.

"Kroger is excited to offer this innovative fuel to Ohio customers. We
believe customer interest in this alternative fuel will grow as it becomes
more conveniently available," Bruce Macaulay, the president of Kroger's Great
Lakes division, said in a statement. The division, based in Columbus, Ohio,
includes 245 grocery stores in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia.

The rollout of fuel dispensers appears to be modest. In the statement,
Kroger cited one fuel station in Columbus that will be outfitted to offer E85
fuel beginning in August. The statement said that the Cincinnati, Ohio-based
company "is making station improvements needed to offer E85 in Ohio and plans
to offer E85 at more Kroger fuel centers as consumer demand grows." it noted
that specific locations in central Ohio, Dayton, Cincinnati and Toledo "will
be announced as they come on line."

Kroger noted that it launched E85 fuel stations in Texas last month, and
that it is "exploring additional opportunities to offer customers E85 fuel
throughout the US."

Kroger operates roughly 600 supermarket fueling stations nationwide,
including more than 80 in Ohio, all located next to Kroger retail grocery
stores. The company also operates over 700 convenience store fueling sites in
the US.

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