Sept 11 - U.S. grocer Kroger ( KR ) raised its annual

core sales forecast on Thursday, banking on resilient demand

for its lower-priced products amid growing concerns over

tariff-related pressure on consumer demand.

The company expects full-year identical sales to increase in

the range of 2.7% to 3.4%, compared with its prior forecast of a

2.25% to 3.25% rise.