By Reuters Staff 2 Min Read (Reuters) - Kroger Co on Thursday forecast strong annual earnings as it reins in costs after record sales for 2020 on a boom in demand for groceries during the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: The Kroger supermarket chain's headquarters is shown in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., June 28, 2018. REUTERS/Lisa Baertlein Kroger consistently topped sales estimates last year as consumers, looking to stock up on food and household essentials, rushed in droves to the websites and apps of big national retail chains to shop from the relative safety of their homes. Shares in the supermarket c...