Giant Food Appoints Ira Kress President

Ira Kress, the Giant Food veteran who has been the brand’s interim president for nearly a year, has been named president effective immediately, Giant parent Ahold Delhaize USA said.

Giant, based in Landover, Md., operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia and has approximately 20,000 associates.

“It’s been an honor and privilege to lead Giant Food, especially during this time when our customers and communities have never needed us more,” Kress said in a statement. “I’m honored to continue in the role and am incredibly appreciative of our associates who serve our customers with excellence every day. I look forward to continuing to grow the Giant Food brand in our communities.”

Kress was named interim president last June after Giant’s former president, Gordon Reid, took over the same role at Giant’s sister brand, Stop & Shop.

Ira Kress

Kress joined Giant in 1984 and has more than 36 years of retail experience, having started in store operations management and served in a variety of leadership roles in retail operations, human resources, training and labor relations. In addition, Kress held a leadership role in human resources at Ahold USA. Kress is active in the community and serves as a board member on the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology Advisory Council and the Ahold Delhaize USA Family Foundation.

“Ira has been a dedicated leader for Giant Food for 36 years, and we are proud to appoint him to this role,” said Kevin Holt, president of Ahold Delhaize USA. “He is an excellent leader, with a strong focus on serving customers, engaging associates and supporting local communities. During his role as interim president, Ira has continued to successfully grow sales, market share and build strong associate engagement during an unprecedented time for our industry.”