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Forbes
Kroger Allows Gay
Paper in Tenn. Stores
By JOHN GEROME, AP
from Forbes.com on the web, July 3, 2007
Kroger Co. says it will allow a
regional gay and lesbian newspaper to again be distributed on the free
publication rack inside some of its Nashville-area grocery stores.
The Cincinnati-based company announced the change Monday, about a month after
the Out & About monthly newspaper was removed from racks at 34 of its
Nashville-area stores.
A Kroger spokeswoman last month cited a company policy against displaying
publications that promote "political, religious or other specific agendas" as
reason for the removal.
But some supporters of the paper said Kroger allows the display of gay
newspapers at its stores in other markets, such as Atlanta. They also
noted that alternative weekly newspapers with political columns and
advertisements for strip clubs in the Nashville area were available in the
stores.
Last month, members of the city's gay and lesbian community organized a weeklong
boycott against Kroger and Harris Teeter, another grocery store chain where the
newspapers were removed. Organizers say the boycott cost the two stores
more than $15,000.
Kroger Co. said in a news release Monday that it has a process for all free
publications to be distributed at its stores, and the company that manages its
free publication racks -- DistribuTech -- did not follow that process with Out &
About.
"As we have done elsewhere, Kroger suspended distribution until the agreed-upon
steps were followed. In this case, it resulted in the return of the paper
to some stores in the Nashville area," the release stated.
The distributor, which is a division of Consumer Source Inc., previously said it
had canceled its deal to distribute Out & About at Nashville-area Kroger stores
because the newspaper did not meet company policy. A message left with the
distributor Monday was not immediately returned.
Jerry Jones, publisher of Out & About, said Kroger officials from Ohio met with
members of Nashville's gay and lesbian community.
"They reviewed the paper and met with community leaders and realized that we
publish a true newspaper for our community. It wasn't a political or
religious agenda," Jones said Monday.
Jones said he was pleased with the company's decision to allow the newspaper in
eight stores in areas where the paper identified readership as high.
Out & About is still not available at three Harris-Teeter stores where it was
removed by the same distributor. Jo Sorenson, spokeswoman for the
Matthews, N.C., chain, said the company is still reviewing the issue and expects
a decision next week when its executive team meets.
"We have requested a couple copies of the current publication," Sorenson said.
Lynn Marmer, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs, said in the
release that Kroger welcomes everyone as customers and recognizes that Nashville
is a diverse metropolitan area.
"Having free special interest publications, for example for seniors, families
with young children or the GLBT community, is a way of serving local interests,"
Marmer said.
Kroger, the nation's largest traditional grocery chain, operates 2,468
supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen names.
The company has more than 60 locations in Middle Tennessee and Southern
Kentucky.
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