Kroger has announced that Rudy DiPietro will succeed Keith Shoemaker as president of its Dallas Division, effective March 29, following Shoemaker’s retirement after nearly 48 years with the company.
Over the course of a 21-year career with Ahold Delhaize USA, DiPietro held a variety of leadership roles across many of the organization’s family of brands. Most recently, he served as VP of omnichannel planning and execution, spearheading strategies across five brands.
He previously served the Stop & Shop brand as the VP of omnichannel merchandising planning and execution and SVP of sales and operations, driving operational focus and customer loyalty throughout the market.
Prior to his roles with Stop & Shop, he held leadership roles with the Food Lion and Hannaford brands, including VP of merchandising for Food Lion and 2020 strategy VP and VP of retail operations for the Hannaford Western Division.
“We welcome Rudy to our Kroger family. He brings a wealth of experience in the grocery industry, with a proven track record of driving operational excellence, fostering innovation and delivering exceptional customer experiences. His leadership will play a critical role in elevating our business and our growth strategy in Dallas,” said Valerie Jabbar, SVP of retail divisions at The Kroger Co.
Shoemaker joined the Kroger Family of Companies in 1977 and served in a number of leadership positions, including store manager, district manager and regional director of operations.
In 2012, he was promoted to VP of operations for the Fry’s Division in Arizona before transitioning to VP of merchandising in 2015. In 2017, he joined the Dallas Division as VP of merchandising and was named VP of operations for the division in 2018. He was promoted to division president in 2021.
Shoemaker has supported various community organizations over the course of his career, including the Special Olympics, Salvation Army and Race for the Cure. In 2024, he chaired the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk in Collin County, Texas.
“Keith has left his footprint in Dallas, leading the company in consistently delivering a good experience for our customers and mentoring and training so many up-and-coming leaders throughout our company,” Jabbar said. “We all thank Keith for his many years of service, dedication, loyalty and his passion for people and results, and wish him all the best on his next chapter.”
The Kroger Dallas Division includes 13,000 associates in 110 stores throughout North Texas to northwestern Louisiana.
[RELATED: Kroger Establishes E-Commerce Unit To Accelerate Online Growth]