A slew of major grocery players underwent CEO changes in 2025.
Most notable was the abrupt resignation of Rodney McMullen from Kroger following an ethics review in early March — a shocking development that came as the company was trying to regain its footing following its unsuccessful merger with Albertsons. In the company’s earnings call late last week, interim CEO Ron Sargent said Kroger is making “good progress” toward selecting a new CEO and expects to appoint someone to the role during the first quarter of 2026. Sargent noted that the incoming CEO will be an individual from outside the company.
Albertsons also parted ways with its chief executive. After Vivek Sankaran announced his retirement in March, the grocery company appointed Susan Morris, its executive vice president and chief operations officer at the time, to take the helm on May 1. She faces the steep task of cutting costs at Albertsons while still keeping the grocery chain competitive in markets across the country.
Walmart also announced the retirement of CEO Doug McMillon and named John Furner as his successor. However, this shift will not take effect until Jan. 31, 2026.
Amazon, Grocery Outlet, The Fresh Market, Instacart, Save A Lot, Heritage and Aldi also welcomed new CEOs to their C-suites over the course of this year, rounding out an incredibly busy year atop the country’s leading grocery companies.
As 2025 comes to a close, here’s a look back at some of the top CEO changes announced this year.
