Help wanted: The nation’s second-largest grocer and Fortune 50 company is seeking a dynamic, transformational new CEO after a failed merger attempt and an overhaul of its unprofitable e-commerce efforts.
Pay is in the millions but you must be prepared to fight to the death rivals like Walmart, Amazon as well as traditional sueprmarkets like Publix. If interested, please contact interim CEO Ron Sargent.
Cincinnati-based Kroger has been searching for a new CEO for almost a year after the supermarket giant’s top executive abruptly resigned following an internal ethics investigation in March 2025.
While analysts give moves made by Kroger’s interim boss high marks, they admit that Kroger made a mistake by failing to cultivate a ready, in-house successor – and the quest for a permanent replacement of Rodney McMullen is beginning to drag out.
“I think they’re having a hard time finding someone,” R5 Capital analyst Scott Mushkin told The Enquirer. “I think Ron has done a good job, but they need to bring in fresh blood.”
Rival retailers’ smooth transitions contrast with Kroger’s lingering CEO search
On Feb. 1, Kroger’s nemesis, Arkansas-based discount juggernaut Walmart, saw its new CEO John Furner, 51, take over as CEO of the company. He replaced Doug McMillon, 59, who led the world’s largest retailer for 12 years. The move followed a Nov. 14 announcement that Furner, the former head of its U.S. operations since 2019, was the chosen successor to lead the company.
Also taking over as CEO on Feb. 1: Target’s new leader Michael Fiddelke, 48, its former chief operating officer, whose appointment was announced Aug. 20.
This is how it’s supposed to work in corporate America: Companies are led by CEOs, and new CEOs are selected from talented top lieutenants the company has cultivated and groomed for leadership for years.
“(Companies’) boards should treat CEO succession as a continuous responsibility rather than an episodic one. … At large public companies, that usually means one or two credible internal candidates,” said Larry Cunningham, director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. “The board should not be starting from zero if a transition becomes sudden – there should be a name in the envelope.”
Kroger had no clear successor to McMullen
Some companies deliberately use an interim CEO to smooth a transition to a new permanent leader, said Joe Schloetzer, a business professor at Georgetown University. The maneuver is employed by companies that have seen the sudden departure of a CEO after a conflict, disappointing results and uncertainty over future strategy.
“An interim CEO turns leadership uncertainty into strategic breathing room,” Schloetzer said. “Appointing an interim CEO is a strategic choice, not a stopgap measure.”
While McMullen was 64 when he resigned, the company apparently had no internal candidate strong enough to take the reins. Besides McMullen, its previous two CEOs had first served as chief operating officer before leading the grocer. Under McMullen, Kroger named two COOs, only to see them retire after a few years. After his departure, Sargent, 70, a board member and former CEO of Staples, took over until a permanent replacement is named.
How other grocers handled succession
Besides Walmart and Target, other grocery-selling rivals of Kroger have also recently chosen internal successors to become their next CEOs:
Kroger is being ‘very thorough’ in its CEO search
In Kroger’s latest update on its CEO search in December, Sargent told analysts on a conference call the company was being “very thorough” as it worked with an unnamed national search firm to find its next leader from outside the company. He added that company officials had “identified and engaged with really several very highly-qualified candidates.”
But Sargent admitted it wouldn’t be until the first quarter of 2026 when Kroger would announce its pick, indicating the process might not be complete until March or even May (the end of Kroger’s fiscal first quarter).
When asked what Kroger wants from its next CEO, Sargent said a “fresh perspective” but indicated it needed someone with vision and experience running a large retail operation.
Ashley Constable, vice president for the executive search practice at consulting firm Robert Half, said while it’s desirable to have an in-house successor ready to take over, some companies are starting to use interim leaders more to find the right next leader and make key changes during the search for a new CEO.
“Interim leadership at the CEO level has been more common over the last few years,” Constable said. “Many companies lack successor pipelines. … The interim leader allows for a thorough search process to ensure the next CEO is the right long-term fit and aids in a smoother transition.”
Who and where is Kroger looking at for its next CEO?
So who is Kroger considering and where is it searching for a new leader?
Experts say it’s tricky: Kroger wants someone with proven retail experience, but noncompete agreements, such as at Walmart, prevent it from just grabbing one of its competitors’ rising stars. The failed merger with Albertsons and sudden departure of McMullen might make some candidates hesitant to sign on.
“Some good candidates might be wary at signs of inner turmoil at the company,” said Eric Lee, a management professor at Texas A&M University. “They might ask, ‘Do I want to get involved in a situation where I could lose my job?’”
Lee noted that while several of Kroger’s rivals have new leaders, frequently rising executives have a good idea of whether they have a shot at CEO at their company and if they sense they don’t they start looking to get out.
“A lot of times there’s a horse race in these places and people internally know two years ahead,” Lee said. “ And they (those who aren’t in the running at their current company) start making moves.”
So who might Kroger talk to about leading the company?
Two names from Walmart have come up: Judith McKenna, who ran its international division for five years, whose retirement from company was announced in 2023; and Greg Foran, who ran the U.S. store operations for five years before leaving in 2019.
Kroger would likely also look at current or past senior operating executives at other rival retailers like Publix or Costco, analysts said. They added Kroger might also broaden its search for a successor to other large successful retailers, such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. Beyond retail leaders, Kroger might also consider executives from major vendors, such as packaged goods suppliers, like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, PepsiCo or Kraft Heinz.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What’s taking Kroger so long to name a new CEO?
Reporting by Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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