Kroger is bringing in an e-commerce veteran with experience at Jet.com, Walmart and Diapers.com to lead its digital business as new CEO Greg Foran continues to reshape the retailer’s leadership team.
Nate Faust will join Kroger as executive vice president and chief eCommerce officer effective Sept. 1, the company announced Tuesday. The appointment gives Foran a senior executive with extensive experience in online merchandising, fulfillment, delivery and customer service as Kroger works to expand a business that has become an increasingly important part of its growth strategy.
Faust and Foran have worked together previously at Walmart. Faust served as senior vice president of Walmart U.S. eCommerce Supply Chain after Walmart acquired Jet.com in 2016, while Foran led Walmart U.S. until 2019. Faust was responsible for a multi-year effort to improve Walmart’s customer delivery experience.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Nate to the team,” Foran said in announcing the appointment. “That is the standard we are holding ourselves to as we grow our digital business.”
Faust was a co-founder of Jet.com and served as its chief operating officer, overseeing first-party merchandising, replenishment, fulfillment and customer service. He also helped develop the company’s Smart Cart model, which was designed to lower prices by rewarding customers for shopping more efficiently.
Before Jet.com, Faust was part of the executive team at Diapers.com, where he helped build its fulfillment and delivery network. Most recently, he worked at Olive, a company focused on reducing waste in e-commerce delivery and returns for brands including Rhone, Cynthia Rowley and Rent the Runway.
The appointment comes as Kroger is emphasizing profitable e-commerce growth. The retailer reported a 19% increase in adjusted e-commerce sales in its first quarter, excluding the effects of fulfillment-center exits in markets where it does not operate stores, the sale of Vitacost and the discontinuation of Ship Marketplace. Kroger said its e-commerce business, including media, was profitable during the quarter.
Kroger has been restructuring its e-commerce operation since last year, when it announced plans to simplify its fulfillment network, close certain automated facilities and expand relationships with third-party delivery providers. The company said at the time that the changes were expected to improve e-commerce operating profit by approximately $400 million in 2026.
The retailer has increasingly shifted toward a hybrid model combining store-based fulfillment, delivery and third-party providers. Kroger has expanded its relationship with Instacart while continuing to operate its own pickup and delivery capabilities in its stores.
Faust said Kroger’s store footprint, customer relationships and loyalty data provide a strong foundation for expanding its digital business.
The appointment is one of the first significant moves under Foran, who became Kroger’s CEO in February after previously leading Walmart U.S. and serving as CEO of Air New Zealand. Foran has emphasized store execution, customer experience and operational discipline as priorities for Kroger.
Faust holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in operations research and financial engineering from Princeton University. He will assume the Kroger role Sept. 1.