Kroger Co.: The Cincinnati supermarket and convenience...

Kroger Co.: The Cincinnati supermarket and convenience store company reported a net loss of $2.5 million in the second quarter, contrasted with a $57-million profit in the same period a year ago. The company said the second-quarter results showed it was drawing closer to profitability sooner than anticipated when the firm implemented a restructuring last fall. The loss included an extraordinary after-tax loss of $3.9 million related to the writeoff of deferred financing costs. Total sales were down 1.7% to $4.4 billion, but that included divested units.