A nearly 123,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace opened its doors next to Smyrna High School on Oct. 28, giving the growing Rutherford County town its second Kroger location and the ninth in the county overall. Shoppers streamed in on opening day to check out expanded offerings of sushi, seafood, deli meats, baked goods and wine that dwarf what's available at the town's other grocery stores.
The store sits off Lee Victory Parkway, right next to the high school, according to the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal. It marks a homecoming of sorts for the grocery chain, which had closed a store on South Lowry Avenue near U.S. Highway 41, Smyrna High and the Nissan plant around 2010. A Kroger Marketplace at the Lee Victory Parkway and Bulldog Drive site had also been listed by southeastern.company, and town records show the Town of Smyrna issued a foundation-only permit for the project in February.
Shoppers who turned out for opening day were enthusiastic about what the new store brings to the neighborhood. Kathy Collins said she scored great deals on dog products and appreciated the wider aisles, which she said give shoppers more room than the other Smyrna Kroger provides. Sumatra Drayton, who lives about a mile around the corner, said she's thrilled to have a new full-service Kroger so close to home. Terry Charlton simply called the new store nice and welcomed Kroger to the neighborhood.
Construction Began Over a Year Ago
Construction crews broke ground on the new Kroger in August 2025, according to spokesperson Lauren Bell, as confirmed in the Daily News Journal's report. Bell said the store was expected to employ about 150 people. Kroger also opened a fueling station at the site about two weeks before the store itself opened.
Bell framed the investment as a response to the town's rapid growth. “Smyrna continues to experience tremendous growth, and we're excited to invest in a new store,” she said, according to the newspaper's account. That growth is backed by Census figures showing Smyrna's population jumped from just under 40,000 people in 2010 to just over 53,000 in 2020, a trend documented by WKRN. The Daily News Journal separately reported that Smyrna has added more than 10,000 residents since that estimated 2020 count of 53,100. A Smyrna town council member told the station the town's population is expected to approach 65,000, and the outlet noted ongoing challenges around widening roads near new schools and ensuring sufficient water supply as the area expands.
More Than Just a Grocery Store
The new Kroger shares a traffic light with added turn lanes alongside Smyrna High School, whose bell times run 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., per the Daily News Journal's reporting. Crews are also building outparcel developments for a McDonald's and a Fifth Third Bank next to the grocery store, Bell confirmed to the paper. The broader project reportedly includes six outlots available for businesses along with 10,000 square feet of retail space for lease, according to Rutherford Source.
With the new location, Kroger now operates two stores in Smyrna, off Sam Ridley Parkway and Lee Victory Parkway, along with six stores in Murfreesboro and one in La Vergne, the Daily News Journal reported. The Cincinnati-based chain competes locally with Publix, Food Lion, Aldi, a future Sprouts in Smyrna and Trader Joe's in Murfreesboro. Opening-day deals included a bottle of Bai for 99 cents.
Part of a Bigger National Push
The Smyrna opening lands amid a broader company strategy. Kroger plans to add 110 stores by 2029 and is rolling out three new store formats ranging from 50,000 to 99,000 square feet that emphasize fresh foods, meal solutions and online-order fulfillment, according to cincinnati.com. The new formats are also expected to include redesigned e-commerce backrooms with larger pickup and delivery capacity, per a separate report from cleveland.com, which also noted Kroger plans to reduce its corporate workforce by roughly 3,000 employees over the next three years.
The expansion push comes as Kroger faces fresh competition at the top of the grocery industry. Costco has surpassed Kroger as the nation's second-largest grocery retailer by consumer spending share, capturing 8.4% of food and beverage spending compared with Kroger's 8.2%, according to Supermarket News. For now, though, Smyrna shoppers are simply enjoying having a second full-service Kroger of their own, stocked with the kind of seafood counter and wine selection the town hadn't had before.
