Kroger has been hit by a spate of executive departures, including two retail heads who could have succeeded new boss Greg Foran.
The latest departure – just announced May 26 – means Foran’s to-do list will also include rebuilding his senior leadership team at the nation’s largest supermarket chain. One of those he selects could wind up succeeding their 64-year-old boss in the next few years.
Currently, Foran, who joined the Cincinnati-based grocer in February, is looking to jumpstart Kroger’s flat sales growth by cutting costs and lowering grocery prices. He’s also mulling potential acquisitions.
If you count Foran’s replacement of board chairman and former interim CEO Ron Sargent at the helm, the recent exits make 2026 among the busiest years of the decade for turnover among Kroger’s senior executives, matching 2021. That’s when five top officials left the company amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to company disclosures to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
2026 is already a busy year for exiting Kroger executives
Here are the latest leaders to depart Kroger:
Kroger is a major supermarket operator
Kroger operates nearly 2,700 stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia, including 77 in Greater Cincinnati. The company employs 403,000 workers, including nearly 20,000 in the Greater Cincinnati region.
The retailer operates stores under the Kroger banner name as well as Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Pick ‘n Save, Dillons, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Fry’s, QFC and others.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger loses four top executives under new CEO Greg Foran
Reporting by Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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