Kroger shuffles Harris Teeter executives

The Kroger Co. has named Fred Morganthall, currently president of Harris Teeter Supermarkets, as senior vice president of retail divisions for the Kroger Co.

Rod Antolock, currently Harris Teeter's executive vice president, has been named president of Harris Teeter.

Morganthall, 63, has been president of Harris Teeter Supermarkets since 1997. He brings more than 37 years of grocery industry experience to his new role. Morganthall began his career in grocery retail in 1978 at Spartan Stores in Grand Rapids, Mich. He joined Harris Teeter in 1986 as director of grocery merchandising, and went on to serve in several key leadership roles including vice president of merchandising, vice president of distribution, and vice president of operations, before taking his current role as president. Morganthall has also been an active leader in industry organizations, including the Food Marketing Institute.

"Fred is an exceptional leader who is respected throughout the industry," said Mike Ellis, Kroger's president and chief operating officer. "We continue to learn a lot from Fred about building even stronger connections with our customers. We are delighted that he is taking on this broader role at Kroger."

Antolock, 56, began his retail career in 1978 with Albertsons, where he held a number of leadership roles before joining Harris Teeter in 2000. Antolock has served in several executive positions, including senior vice president of operations, and senior vice president of operations and merchandising. He has been serving in his current role since 2012, where he is responsible for merchandising, operations, marketing, human resources, loss prevention, store development, quality assurance and distribution, as well as manufacturing.

"Rod's leadership has contributed to Harris Teeter's success for more than 15 years," said Mr. Ellis. "He has been instrumental in developing Harris Teeter's exceptional customer service and product quality. We look forward to his continued leadership in his new role."

Kroger, one of the world's largest retailers, employs nearly 400,000 associates who serve customers in 2,625 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 782 convenience stores, 326 fine jewelry stores, 1,330 supermarket fuel centers and 37 food processing plants in the U.S.