2024 was another highly remunerative year for the chief executives of the nation’s publicly traded grocery retailers.
The majority of CEOs in a group of 11 food retailers tracked by Grocery Dive pocketed pay packages last year that were comparable to the compensation they received in 2023, although there were a couple of notable exceptions. But even CEOs whose earnings decreased last year brought home multimillion-dollar financial packages, with the top executives of some smaller companies earning especially hefty sums.
As in prior years, CEOs of the biggest grocery retailers received the most sumptuous paychecks in 2024. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon again topped the list, recording compensation of about $27.4 million, or about 1.5% more than he earned last year. Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, saw his pay rise more than 6%, surpassing $20 million — even as the retailer’s stock price finished the year about where it started.
In an especially notable jump, Sprouts Farmers Market CEO Jack Sinclair saw his pay package rocket ahead by nearly $3 million in 2024, to $12.2 million, as the specialty retailer he helms turned in a stellar year that saw its share price triple. On the other hand, SpartanNash’s CEO’s pay dropped by 30% last year, a period when the grocery retailer and wholesaler’s stock market value also sagged.
Meanwhile, Rodney McMullen and Vivek Sankaran, the now-former CEOs of Kroger and Albertsons, respectively, both again earned more than $15 million in 2024 despite the high-profile flameout in December of their companies’ controversial plan to merge. Both executives left their roles early in 2025, with the circumstances surrounding McMullen’s departure still unexplained.
Below is a look at the compensation packages the CEOs of the top publicly traded U.S. grocery retailers took home in 2024. The figures are based on data listed in proxy statements the companies filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or published on their websites.
Doug McMillon
Walmart
$27.4 million
Doug McMillon, Walmart’s president and CEO, earned $27.4 million in 2024, up from $27 million the year before. His compensation last year as head of the nation’s top grocery retailer consisted primarily of stock awards valued at just over $20 million. McMillon also pocketed a $1.5 million base salary.
Brian Cornell
Target
$20.4 million
Brian Cornell, current chair and CEO of Target, took home a pay increase of more than $1.2 million last year, as his stock awards moved ahead to $16 million even as his non-equity incentive plan compensation fell. Cornell’s pay package in 2024, worth $20.4 million, included a base salary of $1.4 million and a bonus of about $785,000, which was down slightly from 2023.
On Wednesday, Target announced Chief Operating Officer Michael Fiddelke will succeed Cornell as CEO when he exits the role on Feb. 1, 2026.
Rodney McMullen
Kroger
$15.6 million
Rodney McMullen, who served in 2024 as chairman and CEO of Kroger, was the best-paid CEO of the conventional grocery store industry last year, repeating a distinction he notched in 2023. McMullen took home a pay package worth $15.6 million in 2024, in line with the amount he earned the year prior.
Kroger announced in March that McMullen had resigned after 11 years as CEO following an investigation by the company’s board that determined his personal behavior was “inconsistent” with its ethics policy. Ronald Sargent, who became interim CEO of Kroger following McMullen’s departure, is receiving an annual base salary of about $4.4 million.
Vivek Sankaran
Albertsons
$15.2 million
Vivek Sankaran earned compensation of more than $15.2 million in 2024 as CEO of Albertsons, slightly above the amount he received the year before. The figure included $11.5 million in stock awards, a $1.5 million base salary and more than $2 million in non-equity incentive plan compensation. As in the past, Sankaran had access last year to the grocer’s corporate aircraft for himself, his family and his guests, a benefit the company valued at over $151,000.
Sankaran retired on May 1, handing the reins to Susan Morris, who was formerly the company’s executive vice president and chief operations officer. Morris took home a pay package of almost $8.3 million last year, an amount that included a $1 million base salary and a bonus of $2 million.
How much did grocery industry CEOs earn in 2024?
Jack Sinclair
Sprouts Farmers Market
$12.2 million
Jack Sinclair saw his compensation rocket ahead by almost 30% in 2024 to more than $12.2 million. His pay included a base salary of more than $1.2 million and non-equity incentive plan compensation of $5.4 million, up from $2 million in 2023. Sinclair took home almost $4.2 million in stock awards, a figure that was below where it was last year, even as the specialty retailer’s share price continued to accelerate.
Robert J. Sheedy Jr.
Grocery Outlet
$9.5 million
Robert Sheedy’s compensation as president and CEO of Grocery Outlet leaped ahead in 2024, coming in at just under $9.5 million. However, the figure included more than $4.5 million in payments related to his departure from the company late in the year. Sheedy left Grocery Outlet abruptly in October and was replaced as chief executive on a temporary basis by Chairman Eric Lindberg.
Jonathan Weis
Weis Markets
$9.3 million
Jonathan Weis earned about $9.3 million as chairman, president and CEO of Weis Markets in 2024, about $600,000 less than he took home in 2023. His pay included a base salary of $1.3 million and non-equity incentive plan compensation of more than $7.6 million.
Sandy Douglas
United Natural Foods, Inc.
$7.6 million
UNFI CEO Sandy Douglas received more than $7.6 million in compensation in 2024, up from $6.2 million the year before. The figure included over $5 million in stock awards and a base salary of just under $1.1 million. Douglas also earned non-equity incentive plan compensation valued at $1.5 million last year, compared with nothing for that pay category in 2023.
Tony Sarsam
SpartanNash
$7 million
Tony Sarsam, president and CEO of SpartanNash, earned a compensation package worth just under $7 million in 2024, down sharply from the nearly $10 million he received in 2023. His pay included a base salary of slightly over $1 million, nearly $4.5 million in stock awards and over $1.2 million in non-equity incentive plan pay.
In June, privately held C&S Wholesale Grocers agreed to acquire SpartanNash in a $1.77 billion deal. The companies are awaiting regulatory and shareholder approval for the deal, which is expected to close late this year. SpartanNash shareholders will vote on the plan on Sept. 9.
Frans Muller
Ahold Delhaize
$6.8 million
Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller pocketed compensation valued at 5.8 million euros in 2024, or about $6.8 million at current exchange rates. But while his pay as measured in euros was down from 2023, when he earned 6.1 million euros, the declining value of the dollar makes it appear as if his pay was actually up this year. Muller’s pay in 2024 included a base salary of about 1.3 million euros and an annual cash incentive of approximately 1.4 million euros, amounts that were similar to what he received the year before.
Kevin Murphy
Publix
$3.4 million
Kevin Murphy, who became CEO of Publix on Jan. 1, 2024, earned about $3.4 million during his first year as the Florida-based grocery chain’s chief executive. His pay included a base salary of nearly $2.8 million and non-equity incentive plan compensation of over $437,000. Murphy, who served as president of Publix before being promoted to CEO, earned just under $2 million in 2023.
