Feb 9 (Reuters) – Grocery giant Kroger on Monday named former Walmart executive Greg Foran as its chief executive, capping a year-long search following the ouster of Rodney McMullen last March.
The U.S. grocer removed McMullen last year after a board investigation found that his personal conduct was “inconsistent” with certain company policies.
Foran hails from New Zealand and was the CEO of Air New Zealand for about five years until October 2025. Between 2014 and 2019, he was the president and CEO of Walmart’s U.S. operations.
At Walmart, Foran was credited with turning around its U.S. business by improving existing stores. Walmart reported 20 quarters of comparable sales growth under his leadership.
Foran’s appointment comes as Kroger grapples with weak consumer spending even for essentials and growing competition from rivals, including Walmart.
“(We) believe he (Foran) brings instant credibility to Kroger after his demonstrated success turning around Walmart U.S. store operations,” Evercore ISI analyst Michael Montani said.
During its search for a new CEO, Kroger’s board appointed lead director Ronald Sargent, a former top boss at office supplies chain Staples for more than a decade, as interim CEO.
The company said Sargent will continue as board chairman, to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Global consumer and retail companies have in the recent past seen several changes in top management amid tariff pressures and choppy consumer spending.
McMullen’s exit in March followed Kroger abandoning a two-year attempt to acquire smaller rival Albertsons for $25 billion, a deal he had strongly backed as a means to fight higher prices and boost competition.
McMullen was trying to “distract attention from his multiple failures as CEO by announcing a massive one-time giveaway to shareholders”, the union group had said, calling for his removal.
Under McMullen, who led the U.S. grocer for about 11 years, the valuation of the company’s stock more than tripled.
The shares of the company, which reaffirmed its fiscal year forecast for 2025, were up about 6% in premarket trading on Monday.
(Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
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