[](https://www.cincinnati.com/staff/2648507001/alexander-coolidge/)

* Former Staples CEO Ron Sargent will temporarily lead Kroger as interim CEO following the resignation of Rodney McMullen.
* McMullen resigned amid an investigation into personal conduct that Kroger deemed inconsistent with its business ethics policy.
* The leadership change arrives as Kroger faces challenges such as a failed merger bid with Albertsons, a lawsuit from Albertsons, slowing sales, and new tariffs impacting food prices.

Kroger board member and former Staples CEO Ron Sargent is taking the helm at the nation’s largest supermarket chain at a critical time as questions about the former Kroger CEO continue to swirl.

On Monday,  that Rodney McMullen, CEO since 2014, had ”. Kroger said McMullen conduct “was inconsistent” with its policy of business ethics.

While Kroger mostly disclosed what McMullen didn’t do: the conduct “is not related to the company's financial performance, operations or reporting, and it did not involve any Kroger associates,” the retailer said. The disclosure appears to rule out problems with the company’s accounting, mishandling of day-to-day business or questionable conduct with a subordinate.

Kroger’s “” otherwise counsels employees to follow laws and regulations and avoid conflicts of interest.

McMullen’s departure coincided with his counterpart at Albertsons, which  running the Boise, Idaho-based retailer.

For the 2024 results, Kroger reported sales and earnings results to be solid when they are released on Thursday morning. The company said sales would be “at the high end” of its previous forecast, while its earnings would be “slightly above the high end” of its last guidance.

In December, Kroger disclosed its identical store sales excluding fuel growth had slowed in the first nine months of its fiscal year to 1.2% from 1.5% in the same period of 2023.

Since the deal was scrapped, Kroger has announced a $25 billion Albertsons takeover. Since Trump announced his tariffs on Tuesday, the tariffs affect a relatively small slice of the $2 trillion worth of imported goods facing tariffs. The tariffs are expected to impact staples like produce in a matter of weeks if they remain in effect for long.

American consumers are weary of inflation, especially at the supermarket, which Trump vowed to fight during his presidential campaign. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, overall inflation has risen 23%, according to the . Inflation on food purchased for home consumption (typically at supermarkets) has been worse: up 27%.

[](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2025/03/06/arizonas-trump-highway-has-run-into-a-ditch-opinion/81817648007/)

 When it comes to bootlicking, Arizona leaders really need to up their game.

[](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2025/03/12/jd-vance-cousin-nate-vance-who-donald-trump-putin-idiots/82306816007/)

 Vice President JD Vance calmly responds to his cousin, Nate Vance, after he called Donald Trump and the VP “Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots.”

[](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/letters/2025/03/12/trump-voter-disappointed-volodymyr-zelensky-putin-russia-ukraine/82246927007/)

 I am disappointed in Trump, and I voted for him.

[](https://favoritesearches.com/index.php?rgid=1362363&gclid=GiCpq1MohWcGIrttCMMowGuRd2P4c80RWmk61N8VuDkZxCDQmF8o0-euiI-Y2s-XATCQCQ&publisher=usatodaydemo#tblciGiCpq1MohWcGIrttCMMowGuRd2P4c80RWmk61N8VuDkZxCDQmF8o0-euiI-Y2s-XATCQCQ)

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[](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/03/04/veterans-alina-habba-trump-musk-government-layoffs/81396531007/)

 Just when you thought the Trump administration's denigration of the federal workers couldn't get worse, Alina Habba specifically insults veterans.

[](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/washington/2025/03/11/trumps-approval-rating-most-recent-scores-in-u-s-washington/82271729007/)

 Here's what recent polls are saying, plus comparisons to approval for past presidents and Trump's first term.

[](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2025/03/13/ricky-floyd-shooting-suspect-samantha-marion-pleads-not-guilty/82363164007/)

 Samantha Marion, 42, is charged with voluntary manslaughter for allegedly killing pastor Ricky Floyd. She was held on a $100,000 bail.

[](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/12/why-this-ohio-donald-trump-store-is-closing-this-weekend/82272348007/)

 USA TODAY

[](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/12/why-this-ohio-donald-trump-store-is-closing-this-weekend/82272348007/)

 People are exercising their right to free speech and telling their representatives how they really feel about Trump. Republicans hate that.

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