WORLD
Kroger chief Rodney McMullen resigns over issues related to his personal conduct
- IBJ Bureau
- Mar 04, 2025
US grocer Kroger said on Monday that CEO Rodney McMullen had resigned after a board investigation found that his personal conduct was “inconsistent” with the company’s certain policies.
The conduct is not related to financial performance, operations or reporting, and it did not involve any Kroger associates, the company said.
The surprise ouster of the 64-year-old executive comes after the company in December last year had terminated a two-year effort to buy rival Albertsons in a $25-billion deal, an attempt Mr McMullen had staunchly defended as a way to fight higher prices and better compete with Walmart and Costco.
Meanwhile, Albertsons has sued Kroger for an alleged breach of contract that led to the demise of the deal.
Kroger, when contacted, declined to provide more details on the exit of Mr McMullen, who was its CEO for more than a decade and has been at the company since 1978 — and the nature of the conduct that led to his ouster. Mr McMullen did not respond to a request via LinkedIn for comment.
“Mr McMullen stepping down certainly puts Kroger in a vulnerable position. The company is already dealing with the aftermath of its abandoned Albertsons merger, and a leadership change at this stage can complicate things," said Riley Beam, the managing attorney of Douglas R Beam, a personal injury law firm based in Melbourne, Florida.
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