US retailer Kroger has announced several appointments at executive level.
The group has appointed Valerie Jabbar, current head of Kroger-owned retail chain Ralphs, based in Southern California, as its new group vice president of merchandising.
A veteran of the company, Jabbar has been with the group since 1987.
"Valerie brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and insight to this role," said Mike Donnelly, executive vice president and COO for Kroger.
Succeeding Jabbar at Ralphs will be Mike Murphy, the current vice president of operations for the Columbus division of Kroger.
On this nomination, Donnelly commented "Mike is a dynamic leader who brings great passion to our business. His strong commitment to our purpose and promise, and extensive grocery retail experience, make him a great asset to our Ralphs division."
The firm also named a new vice president for branding and marketing with Gil Phipps, the current vice president of the Our Brands division of Kroger.
"We are fundamentally changing how we market to and engage with our customers, and Gil is the perfect talent — a personality full of creativity, imagination and fun who loves food and new meal experiences — to lead the way," commented Stuart Aitken, the group's vice president.
The retailer has recently been under pressure both from US competitors such as Amazon as well as new arrivals to the market, such as Lidl.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Matthieu Chassain. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
