Alon USA Energy Inc. has announced that effective May 3, 2011, Paul Eisman was named CEO of the company in addition to his role as President, and that Jeff Morris was named Vice Chairman of the board of directors and will continue to serve as an executive of the company.
Brookshire Grocery Co. named David Krause Senior VP of category management.
Joseph Kelley, a former Price Chopper executive, has been named CEO of Marsh Supermarkets. Frank Lazaran, chairman, president and CEO of Marsh, plans to step down at the end of the month for family-related reasons, the company said Tuesday.
Kroger has named Keith Dailey to be its new spokesman and Director of Corporate Communications.
Kum & Go LLC named Franci M. Phelan Senior VP of Human Resources and promoted Charles W. Campbell to VP and General Counsel.
Shaw’s Supermarkets said that Larry Wahlstrom will retire as President of the chain this spring and will be succeeded by Mike Stigers.
Sunflower Farmers Market announced that Chris Sherrell has been appointed CEO of the company, a position he has held on an interim basis since CEO Michael Gilliland resigned on Feb. 12.
Supervalu promoted three executives in its retail market development division, according to a report published Wednesday at GlobeSt.com. Joe McKeska and Mark Lavin were promoted to group VP real estate and market and development, in the East and West regions, respectively. And Sharon Lessard, who heads Supervalu’s store design team, has been promoted to chief design officer
SUPERVALU INC. announced that Santiago Roces will be the new CEO and President for Save-A-Lot. Roces, 48, replaces Bill Shaner.
Weis Markets announced that it has hired Robert Cline, a former Senior HR Business Partner at Staples, to be its new Director of Training and Organizational Development.
Spartan Stores announced fiscal 2011 sales of $2.53 billion.
Tesco USA/Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market reported fiscal 2010 sales in the U.S. of $816 million.
Mergers and Acquisitions:
7-Eleven Inc. has purchased the 188 Wilson Farms convenience store chain.
High’s of Baltimore Inc. sold 20 of its High’s Dairy Stores to multiple buyers, including national consolidators, regional jobbers and individual store operators, according to Matrix Capital Markets Group Inc. The units were all directly operated by High’s.
Sprouts Farmers Market has completed its merger with Henry’s Farmers Market and Sun Harvest Farmers Market and plans to spend the next few months “carefully analyzing best practices and
products [of each one] to become more than just the sum of our parts.”  Henry’s and Sun Harvest were sold to Sprouts by Smart & Final LLC. With the deal completed, Sprouts will operate 99 stores with estimated sales exceeding $1 billion.  
Tops Friendly Markets has asked the Federal Trade Commission for approval to sell 3 former P&C stores to a group headed by the former chief executive of their previous owner, Penn Traffic.
Associated Grocers of Maine has closed its operations and will liquidate its business after being placed in receivership.
Real Estate:
7-Eleven is planning to nearly double its number of stores in Hawaii to 100 during the next five years. The expansion will mean millions of dollars of investment for Seven-Eleven Hawaii Inc., which will employ twice as many people when all 100 stores are open, the report noted. Total head count would grow from 870 employees now to nearly 1,600, according to President and CEO Greg Hanna, who took over the top job at Seven-Eleven Hawaii in September.
Albeco Inc. is seeking growth opportunities throughout the San Francisco Bay area of CA during the coming 18 months.  Typical leases run 35 years.  Preferred demographics include a population of 20,000 within one mile earning $100,000 as the average household income.  Major competitors include Whole Foods Market.
Alliance Foods, Inc. is seeking growth opportunities throughout OH during the coming 18 months. 
Murry’s – Family of Fine Foods is seeking growth opportunities throughout Washington, DC during the coming 18 months, with representation by Solomon Real Estate, Inc. The company requires sites with adequate loading and parking areas.
Superior Grocers is seeking growth opportunities throughout central and southern CA during the coming 18 months.  The company will not consider sites north of Bakersfield, CA.  A land area of four to five acres is required for freestanding locations.
SUPERVALU plans to add 160 Save-A-Lot stores this year to 1,280 already operating, after opening 92 in 2010. SUPERVALU is focusing on the value chain after seeing same-store sales decline at its regular chains, said a spokesman.
Weis Markets announced an increase of its 2011 capital expenditure budget by 7% to $110 million. The current budget includes 14 major remodels, two additions and three new/replacement stores
Technology News:
Ahold USA is collaborating with manufacturer trading partners via the End-to-End Promotion Management system from DemandTec. Ahold USA also subscribes to DemandTec’s Lifecycle Price Optimization system.
Green Initiatives:
Three Rite Aid stores in New England have received Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Weis Markets said it cut energy use by 30% at a distribution center in Milton, PA by upgrading its lighting system. The system uses low-watt fluorescent and LED lighting, reducing kilowatt hours at the 1.1 million-square-foot facility from 6.4 million a year to 1.3 million.