In a 2004 photo, then-Kroger CEO David Dillon laughs with the outgoing chairman (and his predecessor as CEO) Joseph Pichler after the company's annual meeting that year.© Enquirer file photo ...

A similar pattern plays out at top Kroger rivals. Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon, 58, headed the retailer’s international operations before getting the top job in 2014. At Costco, Ron Vachris, 59 ...