Kroger Bets $25 Billion on Bulking Up to Be More Like Walmart

Kroger Co. Chief Executive Officer Rodney McMullen vows to use Walmart Inc.’s favorite weapon against it: low prices.

The grocery giant is pledging to cut prices by using some of the savings from its $24.6 billion agreement to buy Albertsons Cos. That’s part of the company’s pitch to antitrust regulators on why they should approve the transaction — but it’s also a strategy to compete on Walmart’s long-held turf as the low-price leader.

“I know it’s going to be better for customers because we’re going to invest in pricing to make sure they can stretch their budget better,” McMullen ...