By Adria Calatayud
Dutch grocery group Ahold Delhaize said it nominated Thierry Garnier, head of U.K. home-improvement retailer Kingfisher, as its next president and chief executive officer.
Ahold Delhaize, the owner of Food Lion, Stop & Shop and other chains, said Wednesday that Garnier would succeed Frans Muller at the helm of the company around its annual general meeting next year. Muller will retire after serving as CEO since 2018, the company said.
Kingfisher separately said Garnier resigned as CEO after nearly seven years in the role to take up a leadership position at another company. A search for a successor is under way, with both internal and external candidates being reviewed, it added.
Ahold Delhaize said Garnier's experience in retail, digital transformation and international markets and his approach to balancing group scale with local operations aligned well with the company. Before joining Kingfisher, he spent two decades at French grocer Carrefour.
Garnier's appointment is subject to shareholder approval, the company said.
Muller was appointed CEO of Delhaize Group in 2013, became integration chief after the merger of Ahold and Delhaize Group in 2016 and took the top role in July 2018, the company said.
Write to Adria Calatayud at adria.calatayud@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-06-26 0249ET
