Peapod’s CEO, Jennifer Carr-Smith, has suddenly resigned. She will stay on at Ahold Delhaize’s American online supermarket for a few days and then leave.
New challenge
According to Carr-Smith’s own words, she decided to leave Peapod to pursue a new challenge elsewhere although it is not clear where she will go. Walt Lentz, currently responsible for Peapod’s supply chain, will temporarily replace her.
Her departure is not only sudden, but also incredibly badly timed from Ahold Delhaize’s perspective. The company has to compete with the new Whole Foods – Amazon combination and could go without any further distractions.
Ever since Amazon acquired Whole Foods, Ahold Delhaize’s share plummeted. Peapod is still one of the United States’ most important online supermarkets, but Carr-Smith’s departure will undoubtedly cause turmoil once again. It is definitely a situation Ahold Delhaize would prefer to go without at this point.
