Kroger Co. has named Jay Cummins president of the Smith’s Food and Drug Stores division and Joe Fey president of the Mid-Atlantic division.
Cummins was previously president of the Mid-Atlantic division and succeeds Mark Tuffin in his new role with Smith’s. He has served in positions increasing in responsibility since he began as a clerk in 1972.
“In his more than 40 years with the company, Jay has been an enthusiastic and passionate leader in each role he has held,” Kroger president and COO Mike Ellis said in a statement. “Jay’s experience and commitment to our Customer 1st Strategy will ensure Smith’s continues to go above and beyond for our customers.”
Smith’s operates 131 stores in Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. It is headquartered in Salt Lake City.
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Fey will replace Cummins in his previous role. He was previously president of Kroger’s QFC division.
“Joe always leads by example and is deeply committed to our customers, our associates and our company,” Ellis said. “His merchandising expertise and experience in leading the QFC Division will be great assets in our Mid-Atlantic division. We are looking forward to his positive energy and guidance.”
Fey began his career as a meat clerk at Kroger in 1982 while earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Indiana University and continued to increase his responsibilities since then.
The Mid-Atlantic division operates 121 stores in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and the eastern portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. It’s headquartered in Roanoke, Va.
Kroger employs 343,000 associates in 2,418 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names.
Date: Jan 24, 2014