Kroger president and COO retires

The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, said that Mike Ellis, its president and chief operating officer, retired. 

Ellis joined Fred Meyer in 1975 as a parcel clerk at age 16 and went on to serve in a series of operations and merchandising leadership positions in stores, in division management and as a corporate officer, Kroger said. He was vice president of Fred Meyer's food group before joining The Kroger Co. as a senior officer in 2004. He returned to lead Fred Meyer as president in 2006. Ellis was promoted to senior vice president of retail divisions in 2012, leading five operating divisions, as well as Kroger's jewelry and convenience store businesses, and became president and COO on Jan. 1, 2014.

His successor will be named at a later date, the retailer said.

"We're very grateful to Mike for his contributions over the past 40 years, and we wish him all the best in retirement," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "We have long taken a team approach to leadership and together our highly experienced team of operators and merchandisers is focused on delivering on our aggressive growth goals."