Grocery giant Kroger has promoted Lisa E. Holsclaw to president of its central division in Indianapolis, Indiana. Holsclaw succeeds Paul Scutt, and it was also announced yesterday [Tuesday] that he has been appointed group VP, retail operations, at Kroger’s corporate headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Holsclaw, 42, has served in a variety of management and merchandising positions since joining Kroger full-time in 1981. She was most recently VP, merchandising, at Fry’s Food & Drug Stores, a Phoenix-based division of Kroger. Prior to that, she held a similar title in the central division.


David Dillon, president and COO, welcomed the appointment: “Lisa is a talented retail executive with considerable merchandising experience. She has played a critical role in expanding Fry’s business in Arizona and we’re confident that she will bring that same success and leadership to her new role as division president.”


Meanwhile, Scutt, 53, has broad experience in merchandising and operations through his 37-year career in food retailing. For the past two years, he has been president of Kroger’s central division. Before that, he was a regional VP based in Hutchinson, Kansas.


Scutt will be responsible for identifying and coordinating “best practices” to improve the operating efficiency of Kroger’s 2,400 retail stores. He also will focus on opportunities to improve store productivity and worker safety.

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Scutt will report to Dillon, who commented: “Paul’s broad experience in merchandising and operations will be a strategic advantage for Kroger as we identify new opportunities to operate more efficiently.”

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