Kroger announces Smith's, King Sooper's, Food 4 Less leadership changes
The Kroger Co. is shaking up its banner leadership.
The grocery giant announced new leaders for its King Soopers & City Markets, Smith's and Food for Less banners. The appointments are listed below.
•Joe Kelley, president of the Colorado-based King Soopers & City Markets division, was senior VP of Retail Divisions. Kelley is an industry veteran of nearly 40 years, and has held a number of executive leadership roles across a variety of retailers, including Price Chopper, Stop and Shop, Star Market, and Shaws Supermarkets. Kelley joined Kroger in 2019.
Kelley succeeds Kenny Kimball, who returns to the Utah-based Smith's division as president after three years also leading as senior VP of retail divisions. Kimball joined Kroger in 1984.
"Joe is a customer-centric leader who brings broad industry experience, with a strong track record of making stores great places to shop," said Kroger CEO and chairman Ron Sargent, who was appointed to the position in March following the resignation of longtime chief executive Rodney McMullen.
•Chris Albi, group VP of operations at King Soopers & City Markets, will succeed Kelley as president of the division. Albi joined Kroger in 1981 as a courtesy clerk and has held numerous leadership roles in her tenure, including grocery category manager, VP of merchandising for the Michigan division and president of QFC.
•Kendra Doyel will lead the California- and Illinois-based Food 4 Less as president, succeeding Bryan Kaltenbach. Doyel joined Kroger in 1998 as a pharmacist in the Fry's division. Since then, she has held several leadership roles across multiple departments for Fry's, Ralph's and Food 4 Less.
Kaltenbach will retire after more than 50 years in the grocery industry. He joined the Food 4 Less team in 1994 and held several leadership positions, including store manager, director of store operations and director of sales & marketing. Kaltenbach was named division president in 2010.
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Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Kroger Co. operates approximately 2,700 stores across the United States and employs nearly 42,000 associates.
