Kingfisher CEO Thierry Garnier to succeed Frans Muller at Ahold Delhaize

Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller will retire in 2027. His successor has been announced: Thierry Garnier, currently CEO of the DIY group Kingfisher, has been nominated as CEO and president. European CEO Claude Sarrailh is leaving to join Esselunga.

Experienced retail executive

Frans Muller has led Ahold Delhaize since 2018 and previously played a key role in the merger between Delhaize Group (where he was CEO) and Ahold in 2016. Garnier is expected to succeed him around the time of the annual general shareholders’ meeting in April 2027.

The executive, who holds dual French and British citizenship, has been CEO of Kingfisher plc, an international retailer in the DIY sector, since September 2019. Prior to that, he worked at Carrefour for more than twenty years, where he held various executive positions, including CEO of Carrefour International, CEO of Carrefour Asia, and member of the group’s executive management. He is also a non-executive director at Tesco.

At the same time, Ahold Delhaize announced that Claude Sarrailh, CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia, is leaving the company to become CEO of the Italian supermarket chain Esselunga. A six-month notice period applies. The search for a successor has begun. The French national joined the company in 2024 from Metro.