"Born and raised in New Zealand, he started his career working at the country's popular supermarket chain, Woolworths. The then-teenager already had a part-time job there filling the supermarket shelves on Friday nights when he graduated high school. But Foran said he wasn't too keen on attending college, and unusually so, his parents actually agreed, believing he wasn't ready yet."
"Instead, his mom inspired him to climb Woolworths' ranks, sending a job ad his way. "I actually never went to university," Foran said on the Between Two Beers Podcast last year. "Mom said 'Look, there's a job as a trainee manager in Woolworths, why don't you apply for that?'...I had never really considered joining as a retailer, and she was the one who said, 'Well you're applying.' And I said, 'Yes Mum.'""
"Yet one year blurred into a 30-year career in retail-one that went to heights he never dreamed of early in his career. "I thought that it would be terrific if I could be the store manager of that Hamilton store by the time I retired," Foran explained. And it only took him three years to complete his vision; at just 20 years old, he was promoted to store manager, one of the chain's youngest supermarket leaders."
Greg Foran started at Woolworths in New Zealand as a part-time shelf-stocker and took a trainee manager role at 17. He did not attend university and advanced in retail after his mother encouraged him to apply for management. He planned to stay one year but built a 30-year retail career and became a store manager at 20, among the chain's youngest leaders. At age 64, he assumed the role of Kroger CEO, prompting shares to jump as much as 8%. His appointment follows years of turbulence and reflects a history of executive success.
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