Ahold Delhaize has nominated Kingfisher chief executive Thierry Garnier as its next president and CEO, setting up a planned leadership transition at one of the world’s largest grocery groups.
Garnier is expected to succeed Frans Muller around the company’s annual shareholder meeting in April 2027, when Muller will retire after leading the business since 2018.
The appointment brings another experienced international retailer to the top of the Dutch grocery giant.
Garnier has led Kingfisher since 2019 and previously spent more than two decades at Carrefour, where he held senior leadership positions including CEO of Carrefour International and Carrefour Asia. He also serves as a non-executive director at Tesco.
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Ahold Delhaize supervisory board chair Wiebe Draijer said Garnier’s experience in retail, digital transformation and international operations made him well suited to lead the company’s next phase of growth.
Muller joined the business in 2013 as CEO of Delhaize Group before helping oversee the merger with Ahold in 2016. He later became deputy CEO and chief integration officer before taking over as president and CEO in 2018.
During his tenure, Ahold Delhaize expanded its omnichannel operations and strengthened its portfolio of regional grocery brands across Europe and the U.S., where the company operates nearly 2,000 stores through banners including Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Giant Food and Hannaford.
The company said the transition would support continued execution of its “Growing Together” strategy, which focuses on digital growth, operational efficiency and local market leadership across its global operations.
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