Albertsons warns of softer grocery demand as consumers pull back

Albertsons lowered its fiscal 2026 sales and earnings outlook Thursday after weaker grocery demand and a more cautious consumer weighed on its first-quarter performance.The grocery chain now expects identical sales to decline between 0.5% and 1.5% for the full fiscal year, compared with its previous forecast of flat sales to 1% growth.Albertsons also cut its adjusted earnings forecast to between $1.75 and $1.85 per share, down from its prior range of $2.22 to $2.32. Adjusted EBITDA is now expect