Gil Phipps is now VP of branding, marketing and Our Brands
Gil Phipps
Phipps, who will begin his new role Aug. 15, joined Kroger in 2012 to lead the transformation of its private label program by evolving existing brands and introducing new ones that resonate with shoppers. Through elevating recipes and product formulations, inserting personality into packaging, and more, he has increased customer loyalty and driven record Our Brands sales growth.
In fact, if the Our Brands division were an individual CPG company, it would rank No. 138 on the Fortune 500 list, Kroger noted. Phipps was also instrumental in introducing Simple Truth, now the largest natural and organic brand in America, with more than $2 billion in annual sales.
"We are fundamentally changing how we market to, and engage with, our customers, and Gil is the perfect talent – a personality full of creativity, imagination and fun who loves food and new meal experiences – to lead the way," said Stuart Aitken, Kroger GVP and CEO of 84.51°. "Kroger's new marketing approach is more engaging, cross-functional, data-driven, and customer-led in support of Restock Kroger."
Phipps’ grocery career spans more than three decades, beginning in 1987 at Fresh Plus Grocery, in Austin, Texas, as a store director. He also has been brand manager for Guiltless Gourmet, held brand marketing roles at both Michael Angelo’s Gourmet Foods and Hormel Foods, and even at H-E-B, where he became a brand manager in 2001 before earning several promotions that ended with his leading the Texas grocer’s private label program.