Kroger's SVP for Retail Operations and Strategic Initiatives Plans Retirement

The Kroger Co.'s senior vice president for retail operations and strategic initiatives Marnette Perry plans to retire on April 29, after 44 years with the company.

"Marnette's story is one we can all be proud of: she joined Kroger for a job as a part-time cashier while in college, and stayed for a remarkable career that spanned operations, merchandising and executive leadership," says Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "Marnette's significant contributions will leave an indelible mark on Kroger. The entire Kroger family thanks Marnette for her years of service, and we wish her and her family all the best in retirement."

Perry joined Kroger in 1972 as a part-time cashier in Portsmouth, Ohio, in the Columbus division. She went on to serve in leadership positions with increasing responsibility. At Kroger's general office, she served as director of produce merchandising and procurement. She was later promoted to president of the Michigan division in 1997, and named president of the Columbus division in 2001. 

Perry was promoted to group vice president of perishables for The Kroger Co. in 2003. In 2004, she was named senior vice president of retail divisions, where she was responsible for eight supermarket operating divisions and more than $40 billion in annual revenue. She took on her current role, overseeing strategic initiatives and operations for Kroger, as well as the company's value formats, in 2012. She also serves as a member of the board of directors of Kroger Personal Finance and The Kroger Co. Foundation, and is a past board member of the Network of Executive Women.

Perry helped establish Kroger's Natural Foods centers and Floral departments in the early 1980s. More recently, as vice president of operations, Perry championed the teamwork that led to Kroger's innovative QueVision technology, which has dramatically reduced customers' time spent waiting in line at checkout.

Perry has been an active leader in the communities in which she has lived. She is a member of the board of directors of Grange Insurance, the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, and Richard J. Solove Research Institute Foundation. She has also supported the Nationwide Children's Hospital and United Way in Columbus, Ohio; Ohio University; Central Michigan University; the YWCA; and Detroit Head Start.

Her successor will be named at a later date.