CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger’s Mark Tuffin has announced his retirement from the company. The Senior Vice President of Retail Divisions will be passing the torch on to Kenny Kimball, effective April 1.

Kimball joined Kroger in 1984 as a Courtesy Clerk in the Smith’s division, followed by serving in several leadership roles in the years that followed, including store manager, district manager, and bakery director. Thereafter, Kimball was promoted to Group Vice President of Retail Operations before being appointed to Senior Vice President of Sales and Merchandising in 2009.

From there, Kimball continued to climb the leadership ranks as he accepted the role of Vice President of Merchandising for the Ralphs division in 2012; he was then named Vice President of Operations for Ralphs a year later. Kimball then took on a special assignment for the organization in 2015 before returning to Smith’s as Vice President of Operations in 2016. Later that year, he was promoted to his current position as President of the division.

In the new Senior Vice President Role, Kimball will oversee several retail divisions across the organization and in the interim, will also have responsibility for the Smith’s Division.

“Kenny is truly an inspirational leader that effectively balances a passion for people and a passion for results with tremendous experience across our organization, ranging from Courtesy Clerk to Division President,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “He is driven, passionate, and respected for his ability to see the big picture while also putting his associates and customers first. We’re excited to bring his perspective and experience to our senior leadership team.”

Effective April 1, Kimball will succeed Tuffin upon his retirement.

Tuffin has had a distinguished career with the company, clocking in more than 26 years of service. He began his career in the grocery industry at Smitty’s in Arizona where he held various positions before he too joined Smith’s in 1996. At Smith’s, Tuffin began his career of serving in a series of leadership roles. He was named Vice President of Merchandising in 1999 and was promoted to Vice President of Transition in 2009, leading an organizational restructuring of the Kroger enterprise’s then 18 retail divisions.

In 2011, he then moved back to Smith’s to also serve as President before taking on his current role as Senior Vice President of Retail Divisions in 2014.

“Mark is a tremendous leader whose passion for our customers and our people will leave a lasting legacy across the many divisions he has led,” continued McMullen. “We thank Mark for his dedication throughout the years and wish him all the best in retirement.”

Cheers to these gentlemen as they start their next chapters.

Kroger