Is Kroger rolling out Tally robots in Indy?

Late last year, the grocer said it was testing new robots at 70 stores in metro Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Shutterstock

More robots are working the aisles at Kroger stores, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Tally robots have been spotted at Indianapolis locations for the first time.

Late last year, the grocer said it was testing new robots at 70 stores in metro Cincinnati and Indianapolis. The robots, named Tally and Barney, travel through stores collecting inventory data. Kroger most likely is working with tech firms Simbe and Badger Technologies.

Simbe and Badger have maintained a high profile in the grocery industry. Badger has rolled out its autonomous robot technology at stores like Stop & Shop under the name Marty, and Simbe has deployed its Tally chainwide at BJ’s Wholesale Club under the name Tally. The Tally robots have also appeared in stores like Wakefern, Hy-Vee, Schnucks and Giant Food Stores.

For the fourth quarter, Kroger reported a 2.4% increase in identical-store sales without fuel. Identical-store sales without fuel rose 2.9% for the full fiscal year.

“We saw continued strength in ecommerce and pharmacy, along with solid performance in key areas of the store like fresh,” Ronald Sargent, chairman of Kroger’s board of directors, told analysts, according to a transcript from financial services site AlphaSense. “Importantly, food volumes improved and grocery sales were a larger portion of our sales mix, which is a positive sign going forward.”

Kroger also said it increased its market share, seeing its biggest gains since 2021.

Kroger executives said they expect the grocer’s ecommerce business to become profitable in 2026. For the fourth quarter, adjusted ecommerce sales increased 20%, becoming a $16 billion segment. Kroger said it intends to lower ecommerce costs by continuing to fulfill more orders out of its stores and by leveraging its third-party delivery providers.

For the rest of the fiscal year, Kroger anticipates identical-store sales without fuel will increase 1% to 2%. The company expects first-quarter identical sales without fuel to be in the low end of that range, driven by continued egg deflation.