Kroger has formed a business unit centered on its online operations and promoted its chief information officer to head the new team, the supermarket chain announced Tuesday.
The group brings together the personnel “contributing to every aspect of the online customer experience” for Kroger, which has recently seen its digital sales rise at a brisk clip and its e-commerce profitability improve.
Yael Cosset, who previously served as the company’s chief digital officer before becoming senior vice president and CIO of Kroger in 2019, will lead the e-commerce unit as executive vice president and chief digital officer. Cosset will continue to direct technology and data operations for Kroger in addition to overseeing the new division, Kroger said.
Cosset also oversees the company’s data-focused subsidiary, 84.51˚, as well as its personal finance and retail media groups.
“Accelerating Kroger’s eCommerce growth is a top priority. As the architect of Kroger’s digital strategy, Yael will continue to make it easier for customers to shop for our fresh, affordable food,” Kroger Chairman and CEO Ron Sargent said in a statement. Kroger named Sargent as chief executive last week after Rodney McMullen resigned following an ethics investigation.
In a press release about the new e-commerce unit, Kroger credited Cosset for transforming its technology capabilities, laying the foundation for “a more convenient and personalized shopping experience, both in store and online.”
Kroger’s e-commerce sales were up 11% year over year during its latest quarter, and the grocer recorded $13 billion in e-commerce sales in fiscal 2024. The company recorded the strongest digital profit improvements it has ever seen during the period, interim CFO Todd Foley said during the grocer’s earnings call last week.
While Kroger’s overall e-commerce performance has been strong recently, the company’s automated e-commerce fulfillment system, which it developed in partnership with robotic grocery specialist Ocado, has been challenging. Kroger hasn’t opened a fulfillment facility since 2023 as the two companies have worked to improve profitability. Ocado executives said late last month that the companies plan to open two fulfillment centers in 2026. Foley told investors last week that Kroger has struggled with launching fulfillment sites “at a volume that matters and at a scalable level of profitability.
