Kroger asks chief supply chain officer Kevin Dougherty to lead Vitacost.com division

CINCINNATI — Kroger has tapped Kevin Dougherty, formerly group VP and chief supply chain officer, to lead the company's new Vitacost.com division as group VP of digital and Vitacost. 

 

"Kevin has been a leader on the Vitacost merger team from the beginning and for the past several years he has been increasingly focused on building our digital organization here at Kroger," Mike Ellis, Kroger president and COO, told analysts Thursday morning. "We look forward to combining our teams to do great things for our customers, together," he said.

 

"This is a compelling transaction because of the incredible potential for transformation and growth. We believe Kroger is uniquely positioned to blend the art of retailing and deep customer insights with a superb online experience," Ellis said. "Vitacost people and extensive e-commerce platform coupled with Kroger's customer insights and loyal customer base will really be a powerful combination that we can leverage to create new levels of personalization and convenience for our customers. We intend to build on Vitacost's robust technology platform and integrate it with our existing digital footprint to do just that."

 

As group VP and chief supply chain officer, Dougherty was responsible for the company’s digital strategy, health and wellness strategy and supply chain Operations. 

 

Dougherty joined Kroger in 2001 as VP supply chain operations. His career in the logistics and technology fields spans over 35 years with previous leadership positions in the automation and healthcare industries. 

 

He has his B.S. in Urban Systems from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MBA from Widener University.