Kroger's VP of Pharmacy Honored by National Diversity Council

PRESS RELEASE

CINCINNATI, Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.'s (NYSE: KR) Vice President of Pharmacy, Philecia Avery, today was honored by the National Diversity Council with a

2015 Most Powerful & Influential Women Award

during the 8

th

Annual Ohio Diversity & Leadership Conference in Columbus, Ohio.

Ms. Avery was one of 13 women recognized for their professional accomplishments during the Ohio Diversity Council's annual gathering.

"I'm honored and humbled by this recognition, which reflects the work of our incredible team of pharmacists, technicians and support staff in our more than 2100 pharmacy locations nationwide," said Ms. Avery.

Ms. Avery began her career with Kroger in 1997 as a pharmacist in the Nashville Division. She was later promoted to Pharmacy manager followed by Pharmacy coordinator for the division. In 2007, she moved to Kroger's general office where she served in several roles of increasing responsibility, including manager of clinical services, manager of pharmacy benefit sales and services, and director of pharmacy operations. She was promoted to her current role, overseeing 2,116 pharmacy locations as vice president of pharmacy, in 2014.

Kroger, one of the world's largest retailers, employs nearly 400,000 associates who serve customers in 2,623 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's. The company also operates 781 convenience stores, 327 fine jewelry stores, 1,350 supermarket fuel centers and 37 food processing plants in the U.S. Recognized by Forbes as the most generous company in America, Kroger supports hunger relief, breast cancer awareness, the military and their families, and more than 30,000 schools and community organizations. Kroger contributes food and funds equal to 200 million meals a year through more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber's Million Dollar Club.