Grocery retailer Kroger’s net profit declined 14.1% to $373.7m (£251.6m) in the first quarter to May 22.

Total sales, including fuel, rose 8.7% to $24.8bn (£16.7bn), while sales excluding fuel increased 3.1%. Like-for-like supermarket sales, without fuel, were up 2.4%. Kroger’s chairman and chief executive David Dillon said: “The total number of families we serve continues to grow and our most loyal customers are buying more with us.”