Kroger’s president retires after 40 years; successor has yet to be named.
After 40 years with the company, Mike Ellis, Kroger’s president and chief operating officer, has retired.
Ellis joined Fred Meyer in 1975 as a parcel clerk at age 16, and went on to serve in a series of operations and merchandising leadership positions in stores, division management and as a corporate officer. He was vice president of Fred Meyer’s food group before joining The Kroger Co. as a senior officer in 2004. He returned to lead Fred Meyer as president in 2006. He was promoted to senior vice president of retail divisions in 2012, leading five operating divisions, as well as Kroger’s jewelry and convenience store businesses, and became president and chief operating officer on Jan. 1, 2014.
Ellis’ successor will be named at a later date.
“We’re very grateful to Mike for his contributions over the past 40 years, and we wish him all the best in retirement,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and CEO. “We have long taken a team approach to leadership and together our highly-experienced team of operators and merchandisers is focused on delivering on our aggressive growth goals.”
Kroger operates 2,626 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s. The company also operates 780 convenience stores, 327 fine jewelry stores, 1,342 supermarket fuel centers and 37 food processing plants in the U.S.