Dive Brief:
- Hy-Vee Chairman and former CEO Randy Edeker will retire on July 31, the grocer confirmed in an email.
- CEO Jeremy Gosch will take on the role of leading the company’s board of directors.
- Edeker’s retirement marks the end of his more than 40 years with the Midwestern grocery chain.
Dive Insight:
Edeker started his career at Hy-Vee as a part-time worker in the grocer’s store in Chariton, Iowa.
Stockholders elected Edeker president of the company in 2009, marking the fourth company officer to hold the title of president since Hy-Vee’s founding in 1930.
Three years later, he became chairman of the board and CEO in 2012.
In late 2022, Edeker became the company’s executive chairman of the board, and the grocer announced at the start of 2023 that it installed Gosch as CEO.
“I’ve had a succession strategy in place for the last four years, and I’ve been working to get Jeremy [Gosch] into position to be ready and to remove myself over time,” Edeker recently told Business Record. “As he comes up, my role has diminished. That’s really been my strategy – to work him into a position to take over, and he’s absolutely ready.”
Hy-Vee spokesperson Tina Potthoff told the Des Moines Register that Edeker guided Hy-Vee through some of the company’s most challenging times, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and expanded its operation into new areas of business such as e-commerce and retail media.
Hy-Vee did not respond to Grocery Dive’s request for comment by time of publication.
Under Edeker’s leadership, Hy-Vee looked to redefine its role as a traditional retailer. In recent years, the chain launched new store formats, expanded its fleet of stores and rolled out in-store technology like aisle-scanning robots.
Editor's note: This story was updated to include confirmation from Hy-Vee about Edeker's departure.
