"This new offering is on-trend, convenient, and right in line with our customers' needs," Kroger senior vice president of merchandising Robert Clark said in a statement.

While the grocer has long stocked third-party apparel at its Fred Meyer stores in the Pacific Northwest, the move will mark the first time it's done so under its own name.

It might seem odd to add clothing racks near produce bins and bread aisles, but the decision comes at a desperate time for the Grocery giant.

It now faces formidable competition from a host of big retailers, Amazon and its newly acquired Whole Foods stores perhaps chief among them.

Big-box chains like Walmart and Target have also focused on building out their grocery businesses as a way to keep a reliable flow of store traffic at a time when people are doing an increasing amount of their other shopping on the web.