Kroger’s Joe Fey to Retire

Joe Fey is retiring as president of The Kroger Co.’s Mid-Atlantic division and will be succeeded by Jerry Clontz, Harris Teeter’s SVP of operations.

Fey is scheduled to retire Feb. 10, after 44 years of service.

"Joe has accomplished much in his distinguished career spanning several supermarket divisions and Kroger's corporate office," said Fred Morganthall, Kroger's EVP of retail operations.  "Joe is a true leader who exemplifies our values and focuses on doing what is best for our associates, customers and company. The people he has developed throughout his career will continue his legacy for many years. The entire Kroger family thanks Joe for his many contributions and wishes him and his family all the best in retirement."

Fey started with Kroger as a meat clerk in 1972 while earning a bachelor's degree in business administration at Indiana University. He was promoted to a variety of leadership positions in such areas as store management, deli/bakery merchandising and meat/seafood merchandising in both the company's Central division and corporate office in Cincinnati.

In 1999, Fey became VP of merchandising for the Dillons division, and in 2008 was named VP of merchandising for the Michigan division. In 2011, Fey was promoted to president of the QFC division. He took on his current role in 2014.

New Mid-Atlantic Leadership

Clontz will take over Feb. 1 as president of Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic division.

"Jerry is a proven leader who is passionate about this business and the success of his associates," said Sukanya Madlinger, Kroger's SVP of retail divisions. "Jerry has a strong track record of success as a leader at Harris Teeter, and we look forward to his contributions in our Mid-Atlantic division."

Clontz joined Matthews, N.C.-based Harris Teeter, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Kroger, in 1971 as a bagger in Marion, N.C. He has held various positions of increasing responsibility, including store manager, store director, district manager and regional director. In 1997, Clontz was named regional VP, in which role he was instrumental in Harris Teeter's entry into the highly competitive Washington, D.C., market, which included northern Virginia, southern Maryland and coastal Delaware. He was named to his current role in 2007.

Cincinnati-based Kroger operates 2,796 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia.