The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) announced that Valerie Jabbar, senior vice president of Retail Divisions, retired in May after 38 years with the company.

Jabbar began her career with Kroger's Fry's division in 1987 as a clerk and advanced through various leadership positions across multiple divisions. Her roles included district manager, vice president of Merchandising, division president of Ralphs, and group vice president of Center Store Merchandising before becoming senior vice president of Retail Divisions in 2021.

"Val's journey from store clerk to senior vice president is a testament to what's possible at Kroger," said Ron Sargent, Chairman of The Kroger Co. "She shaped teams, developed leaders and touched countless associates across this company for nearly four decades."

During her career, Jabbar received recognition within the grocery industry. She was named 2018 Women Executive of the Year by The Shelby Report and received the Progressive Grocer Top Women in Grocery honor twice. She served on boards including the Salvation Army, WAFC and NextUp, and acted as executive sponsor of Kroger's Women's Edge and KePasa Associate Resource Groups.

Kroger operates more than 400,000 associates serving over 11 million customers daily through eCommerce and retail food stores under various banner names.