Dive Brief:

• Harris Teeter President Rod Antolock will retire early next year, according to an announcement from parent company Kroger on Tuesday.
• Antolock, who has worked at Harris Teeter for nearly 22 years, is set to retire on Feb. 1, 2022. He will be succeeded by Tammy DeBoer, the grocer’s senior vice president of merchandising, operations and marketing.
• DeBoer, who joined Harris Teeter last year, brings more than 25 years of retail experience to the East Coast grocer. 

Dive Insight:

Prior to joining Harris Teeter in 2020, DeBoer was a self-employed consultant for three years, per her LinkedIn profile. Before that, she worked at Family Dollar in several executive roles, including chief merchandising officer and senior vice president of merchandising for consumables.

DeBoer also spent 19 years with Delhaize America, according to the announcement, holding vice president roles in operations, category management for bakery and deli and of the now-discontinued Bloom chain operated by Food Lion. 

"Her broad and deep experience, including brand transformation, merchandising, operations, and more, make her a true asset to Harris Teeter and the leading choice to assume the role of president," said Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger's senior vice president of operations, in a statement. 

Since joining Harris Teeter in 2000, Antolock served in a number of top positions, including senior vice president of operations, senior vice president of operations and merchandising, and executive vice president.

Kroger named Antolock president of Harris Teeter in 2015. During his time at the company, he led several teams, including merchandising, operations, marketing, and headed up the development of the company's "Service Excellence" customer engagement model. He also helped the grocer innovate its operations, helping with the creation of an urban store model, expanded store format and “a model store walk concept,” per the announcement. 

The grocer also expanded into new geographies under Antolock's leadership, including Northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.

Prior to Harris Teeter, Antolock held several leadership roles at Albertsons from 1978 to 2000.

As grocers look to hold onto the sales gains during the start of the pandemic last year, Harris Teeter has turned its attention to e-commerce innovation. The grocer announced in January a new tiered service fee structure for its ExpressLane online grocery service.