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PCC Community Markets CEO to retire in January; search for replacement underway. * john stearns * aug 21, 2026. PCC Community Markets on Wednesday announced that President and CEO Krishnan "Krish" Srinivasan plans to retire effective Jan. 29, 2027, after guiding the Seattle-based food cooperative through significant financial and operational challenges to a healthy position today. Srinivasan, who joined PCC as chief financial officer in mid-2018 before becoming CEO in January 2022, will continue leading PCC while its board of trustees conducts a national search for his successor. He will work closely with the board during the search now underway and with the incoming leader during onboarding to ensure a seamless handoff, while advancing key strategic initiatives, including the opening of PCC's 17th store in Seattle's Madison Valley, PCC said in a news release. That store is targeted for a fall opening. PCC's 16 existing locations include Bellevue, Bothell, Edmonds, Issaquah, Kirkland, and Redmond. "This decision comes after a lot of personal reflection and thought," Srinivasan said in the release. "For more than eight years, PCC has been where my passion and my sense of purpose found equal voice. It has been a uniquely special experience to do what I enjoy with an extraordinary team of people in service of a mission that truly moves us all." Srinivasan said he has long known this would be his last full-time role. "I am making this decision now because our co-op is very well positioned for its next chapter, and I am personally ready to pass the reins on - and to spend more time with family and loved ones in my own life's next chapter," he added. Srinivasan became CEO during one of the most difficult periods in the co-op's history. Retail and food industries nationwide were navigating the lasting effects of the pandemic, from rising costs to supply-chain disruptions, and PCC faced big challenges. Under his leadership, PCC's membership more than doubled since he joined the leadership team as CFO; two rounds of collective bargaining resulted in industry-leading benefits and compensation packages for unionized staff members; and the co-op returned to a path of long-term economic stability, positioning PCC for continued success, the release said. In 2025, PCC delivered strong financial results, generating $487.8 million in net sales - an 8.4% increase year over year, and almost $2.4 million in net income, according to the 2025 Co-op Purpose Report. When Srinivasan took over in January 2022, PCC was coming off a year when it reported $398 million in net sales and net income of $181,602 after significant expenses. At the time, Srinivasan called 2021 among the most challenging periods in the co-op's history. PCC, founded in 1953, is now in its 73rd year. It has more than 125,000 members, up from roughly 60,000 in 2017, before Srinivasan's arrival. "Krish has been exactly the CEO that PCC Community Markets needed," PCC board Chair Joe Rogoff said in a statement. "He brought strong financial acumen, inspired confidence, and crafted a strategic vision. He stabilized our financial foundation, re-engaged members, and made the difficult decisions necessary for the future of the co-op. His authenticity and transparency engaged all of our stakeholders, and while we wish him well in retirement, we are very sorry to see him go." Before joining PCC, Srinivasan held leadership positions at Microsoft, Amazon, Lyft, and Remitly.

PCC Community Markets CEO to step down after leading turnaround. Aug. 19, 2026 at 6:20 pm Seattle Times business reporter Krishnan Srinivasan, the former tech exec who helped steer PCC Community Markets out of financial turmoil, will step down as CEO early next year, the Seattle-based grocery co-op said Wednesday. "This decision comes after a lot of personal reflection and thought," said Srinivasan, 58, in a statement Wednesday. "I am making this decision now because our co-op is very well positioned for its next chapter, and I am personally ready to pass the reins on." The co-op, which operates 16 locations in and around Seattle, said Srinivasan will work through Jan. 29. Hired in 2018 as PCC's chief financial officer, Srinivasan brought years of experience in corporate operations from stints with Remitly, Lyft, Amazon and Microsoft, and has also been a PCC member since the 1990s. Srinivasan took over an organization that was losing money as it struggled with inflation, changing consumer habits, and heavy operating costs from a decadelong expansion that arguably resulted in too many new stores. That included a massive downtown location that opened in 2022 to a half-empty downtown. Advertising Under Srinivasan, PCC began a long, slow turnaround. It negotiated a two-year contract with its 1,500 unionized staff, avoiding a costly strike. It trimmed expenses. The money-losing downtown store was closed in 2024 and replaced with a smaller-format store in 2025. It canceled its cooking classes, moved its headquarters from an office overlooking Elliott Bay to space next to its pared-down downtown store and hasn't paid a member dividend for several years. "There are some hard choices we have had to make on this ongoing journey," Srinivasan said in a letter to members that accompanied PCC's annual report in July. The turnaround has shown some success. Between 2021 and 2025, sales grew around 22%, to $488 million, while membership rose 21%, to around 123,000. Sales at the new downtown store in 2025 beat initial projections by 21%, the co-op said, and a 17th location, in Madison Valley, opens this fall. In 2025, the co-op reported income of $2.8 million, almost six times what it posted in 2024. Advertising Srinivasan was "exactly the CEO that PCC Community Markets needed," Joe Rogoff, PCC board chair, said in Wednesday's statement. "He stabilized our financial foundation, re-engaged members, and made the difficult decisions necessary for the future of the co-op." Some employees felt Srinivasan's base salary, which was $530,400 in 2025, is too high for a member-owned co-op. PCC has defended that salary, saying it is lower than what was paid to his most recent predecessors and less than what CEOs at comparable companies make. In its statement Wednesday, PCC emphasized that Srinivasan's stepping down was "part of a thoughtfully planned leadership transition," and noted that he would help in the search for his replacement. "We hope PCC's board chooses a CEO who will continue to bargain industry-leading contracts that allow workers to deliver the level of service co-op members deserve and have come to expect," said Rich Smith, spokesperson for United Food & Commercial Workers International Union 3000, which represents around 1,500 hourly workers at PCC. No word yet on Srinivasan's post-PCC plans. He said Wednesday that the co-op "would be my last full-time role" and that he was ready "to spend more time with family and loved ones in my own life's next chapter." Paul Roberts: [email protected]. Paul Roberts covers business and economics for The Seattle Times. See more Seattle Times content on Google

PCC Community Markets CEO to step down. Krishnan Srinivasan plans to retire after 8 years on executive leadership team The president and CEO of the largest regional chain of food cooperatives in the United States has revealed his plans to retire. PCC Community Markets' Krishnan "Krish" Srinivasan will step down from his leadership position on Jan. 29, 2027. Srinivasan became PCC's seventh CEO in 2022 after a stint as the co-op's CFO starting in 2018. He took on the role of CEO during one of the most challenging periods in the local and independent co-op's history. Retail and food industries nationwide were navigating the lasting effects of the pandemic, from rising costs to supply chain disruptions, and Seattle-based PCC faced significant financial and operational difficulties. Under his leadership, PCC's membership grew to more than 125,000 active member-owners, two rounds of collective bargaining resulted in improved benefits and compensation packages for unionized staff members, and the co-op returned to a path of long-term economic stability. In 2025, PCC generated $487.8 million in net sales - an 8.4% increase year over year, according to its "2025 Co-op Purpose Report." "For more than eight years, PCC has been where my passion and my sense of purpose found equal voice," Srinivasan said. "It has been a uniquely special experience to do what I enjoy with an extraordinary team of people in service of a mission that truly moves us all. I have long known this would be my last full-time role. I am making this decision now because our co-op is very well positioned for its next chapter, and I am personally ready to pass the reins on - and to spend more time with family and loved ones in my own life's next chapter." Srinivasan will continue as CEO and president while the board of trustees conducts a national executive search to identify his successor. In addition to working closely with the board during the search process, he will also continue to advance key strategic initiatives, including the opening of PCC's 17th store, in Madison Valley, this fall. Overall, Srinivasan reassured members that there will be no change in approach to the co-op's strategy, operations or day-to-day decision-making as result of his impending retirement. Further, once a successor has been named, Srinivasan will work with the incoming leader during onboarding, helping ensure a seamless transition. "Krish has been exactly the CEO that PCC Community Markets needed," noted Joe Rogoff, PCC's board chair and leader of the search for the next CEO. "He brought strong financial acumen, inspired confidence and crafted a strategic vision. He stabilized our financial foundation, re-engaged members and made the difficult decisions necessary for the future of the co-op. His authenticity and transparency engaged all of our stakeholders, and while we wish him well in retirement, we are very sorry to see him go." Srinivasan's relationship with PCC began in the 1990s as a member and shopper. His decades-long connection to the co-op and the Puget Sound region certainly shaped a leadership approach rooted in a deep understanding of its mission, members and local community. Prior to PCC, Srinivasan held leadership roles at Microsoft, Amazon, Lyft and Remitly. Throughout his career, he has also contributed his expertise through board service with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Seattle Association and National Co-op Grocers (NCG), among others. Founded in Seattle in 1953, the cooperative grocer operates 16 stores in the Pacific Northwest, with more than 123,000 members. PCC was named one of Progressive Grocer's 10 Most Sustainable Grocers of 2026. It was also named among the publication's Outstanding Independents for 2025.