This is why Kroger should target Marc Lore as its next CEO
Marc Lore should become the next CEO of Kroger, according to Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant who has also worked at Amazon, Deloitte and Capgemini.
The position has been held by Rodney McMullen since 2013.
Earlier this month, Lore, President and CEO, Walmart E-commerce US, announced that he was leaving the big box retailer.
He will stay on as a consultant through to September and we should bear in mind that he probably has an agreement with Walmart, preventing him from working for another retailer for one to three years.
Nonetheless, Ladd argues that no agreement is bulletproof. And in a LinkedIn post, he lists a number of reasons why Lore is an ideal candidate.
Firstly, few people have his experience in groceries and e-commerce. His work at Walmart has honed his skills even more.
Secondly, Kroger must hire an outsider to be their next CEO.
“Lore will not hesitate to question everything about Kroger’s business model and strategy. If Lore isn’t hired, Sergei Goncharov (CEO at X5 Retail Group’s Pyaterochka chain) remains my top choice to take the job,“ Ladd writes.
“I believe Kroger must be ripped apart, including divesting some banners and making acquisitions, to make it a stronger company,” he adds.
“It should consider a merger with Target. I won’t be surprised if Albertsons and Ahold-Delhaize merge.”
Ladd also observes that Amazon is making “incredible strides in grocery…Lore understands this better than most and he will be able to design a customer experience and strategy to enable continued growth for Kroger.”
“Lore is the best person to design a new grocery, meal kit and dark kitchen strategy for Kroger. This is a high growth area,” he concludes.
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