March 7 (Reuters) - Kroger ( KR ) forecast annual sales

largely above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, as demand for

groceries at its stores ticks up with more consumers turning to

cheaper, home-cooked meals amid persistent inflation.

The supermarket chain said it expects fiscal 2024 identical

sales, excluding fuel, to increase 0.25% to 1.75%, compared with

analysts' average estimate for a 0.7% increase, according to

LSEG data.

(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil

D'Silva)