The Kroger Co. has announced the retirement of Atlanta Division President Tim Brown and the promotion of Victor Smith, currently Delta Division president, to succeed him.
Brown will retire after more than 44 years of service and leadership, effective April 1. Over the coming months, Brown will work closely with Smith.
Brown started his career with Kroger as a bagger at the age of 17. In 1981, he joined the company’s management training program and has since served in leadership positions in nine of Kroger’s retail divisions. He was promoted to VP of meat, seafood and deli/bakery operations in general office before being promoted to VP of merchandising in both the Columbus and Atlanta divisions.
In 2010, he was named VP of operations for the Mid-Atlantic division before being promoted to president of the Delta division in 2012. Brown was named president of the Cincinnati/Dayton division in 2015 and to his current role as leader of the Atlanta division in 2018.
“Tim has played an instrumental leadership role in nine of Kroger’s retail divisions throughout his tenure and his passion for people – both customers and associates – is highly respected,” said Mary Ellen Adcock, SVP of operations. “Tim’s dedication to feeding the human spirt has helped created a place where customers love to shop, and our people love to work.”
Brown is currently chairman of the Georgia Food Industry Association, and he has been a member of the executive board during each leadership position held in the Atlanta division. He also has served on the executive board for the Purple Pansies Pancreatic Cancer Foundation for the past 10 years and has brought his passion for Kroger’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste mission to life as a board member of local foodbanks in each division that he has worked.
In retirement, Brown and his wife Angie plan to continue supporting pancreatic cancer research through the Purple Pansies Foundation after both losing their parents to the disease.
Smith promoted
Smith will take on the role of president of the Atlanta division, effective April 1. His replacement will be announced at a later date.
Smith joined Kroger in 1983 as a courtesy clerk in the Ralphs division. He advanced to other roles within the division, including store manager, operations research analyst, shrink manager, operations coordinator, district manager and meat merchandiser.
In 2015, Smith was promoted to VP of operations in the Houston division, before returning to Ralphs as VP of merchandising in 2016, where he led merchandising, both sales and marketing, for all 191 Ralphs locations throughout Southern California. He was promoted to president of the Delta division in 2018.
“Victor brings a high level of operational excellence as well as compassionate leadership to every role he takes on,” Adcock said. “His focus on improving the customer experience and supporting our communities will strengthen and build upon the work Tim has done in Atlanta.”
Smith is a graduate of the University of Southern California food industry management program and the University of Southern California food industry executive program. He is currently on the board of directors for The Kroger Company Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation and has been named to the Memphis Business Journal’s Power 100 for two consecutive years.
The Kroger Co. is comprised of nearly half a million employees who serve more than nine million customers daily through a digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names.
To learn more, click krogerco.com.
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