Personnel Updates:
Albertsons LLC announced that it has promoted Stewart Edington, division pharmacy manager for its Florida stores, to be its new VP pharmacy operations.
Coborn’s has named Becky Estby, a former human resources executive with Atterro Inc., to the newly created position of VP of Organizational Development.
Golub Corp./Price Chopper Supermarkets has promoted Michael DeSimone to the position of director, center store focusing on general merchandise and nonfoods, Thomas Tomaselli to the director of sales planning, Paul Gillis to the position of director, center store focusing on grocery food merchandising, and Mike Cormier to director, center store focusing on grocery DSD. All four report directly to Angelo Cannistraci, Price Chopper’s group VP, center store, pharmacy and senior merchandising coordinator.
Kroger has announced the promotion of Joe Fey as president of the Quality Food Centers (QFC) division. Fey, 57, has been VP merchandising for the company’s Michigandivision. He succeeds Donna Giordano, who was recently promoted to president of the Ralphs division in California.
H.T. Hackney has hired Bruce as a vice president of marketing.
Marsh Supermarkets promoted several executives and hired another executive from Price Chopper.
David Siegel, senior vice president of merchandising and marketing strategic initiatives, has been promoted to senior vice president of sales and merchandising. He will continue to report to Joe Kelley, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Marsh Supermarkets. A search is under way to fill Siegel’s previous position.
Bill Buck, a 43-year Marsh veteran, has been promoted to VP and general manager of Marsh’s 27-store MainStreet Market operations. He will continue to report to Bill Holsworth, Marsh chief operating officer.
Bill Erickson, a 13-year Marsh employee, has been promoted to VP of Marsh Supermarket operations with responsibility for the company’s 70 Marsh stores, including three O’Malia’s Supermarkets. He also will continue to report to Bill Holsworth.
Don Rix, a 32-year Marsh veteran, has been promoted to VP of pharmacy, HBC, and general merchandise. He will report to David Siegel.
In addition to these promotions,
Marsh also named Larry Ritzert VP of meat merchandising, reporting to Siegel. Ritzert has 40 years of experience in the meat business, most recently at Price Chopper Supermarkets, Schenectady, N.Y., where both Kelley and Siegel worked before joining Marsh earlier this year.
The Pantry, Inc. announced that Terrance M. Marks, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company, has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to resign. The Company’s Board of Directors has formed a committee to immediately begin the search for a new CEO. Mr. Marks will continue in his role as CEO of the Company for up to sixty days and will work with Edwin J. Holman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, on the leadership transition. Pursuant to a plan previously adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors, upon Mr. Marks’ departure, Mr. Holman will be named and assume the position of interim CEO to serve until such time as a successor has been retained by the Company.
Mergers and Acquisitions:
Three Albertsons stores in TX were acquired by H.E. Butt Grocery. The transaction is expected to be finalized in October. The store in Kerrville will become an H-E-B, but those in New Braunfels and College Station are close to recently opened H-E-B stores and so will be used to attract other retailers.
Kroger announced that its Kroger Delta Division, based in Memphis, has acquired eight Memphis-area Schnucks grocery stores that the company will convert and re-open under the Kroger banner over the next few weeks. Currently, Kroger operates 37 stores in the Memphismetropolitan area, and the acquisition ups the area store count to 43, with two of the acquired Schnucks locations replacing two smaller existing Kroger locations. The Delta Division operates 109 stores and 68 fuel centers in five states under the Kroger banner. In related news, Kroger’s Convenience Store Division, based in Hutchinson, Kan., said Friday that it has acquired seven convenience stores in the Memphis area currently operated by Schnuck Markets. The convenience stores will be operated by Kroger’s Tom Thumb division under the banner name Kwik Shop.
Industry Insight:
Marsh Supermarkets will abandon self-distribution and turn over the supply of its stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers, Keene, N.H., both companies said Monday. The Indianapolis Business Journal reports that Marsh Supermarkets has decided to outsource all of its distribution services to New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale Grocers. According to the story, C&S will handle distribution services for all 97 of Marsh’s stores in Indiana and Ohio, managing “purchasing, in
ventory management and distribution of products from its distribution centers … Marsh said 250 logistics workers will become employees for C&S and work from Marsh’s distribution centers.” In a prepared statement, Marsh said that “with this agreement, Marsh will be leaving the logistics business” and “will realize greater operational efficiencies and…focus exclusively on its core retail business.”
Meijer has unveiled its newest concept, Meijer Marketplace, opening a store in Melrose Park, Ill. At 90,000 sq. ft., the new store is nearly half the size of Meijer’s largest supercenters. The smaller-format store, described as a “mini” supercenter concept, will focus on providing local customers with a tailored grocery shopping experience with fresh quality meats and produce, as well as a wide variety of deli, bakery and pantry items.
Ricker Oil has selected wholesale distributor Eby-Brown to provide distribution services to its stores. The retailer currently operates 50 Ricker’s convenience stores in Indiana, as well as a petroleum dealership and other enterprises.
La Popular Supermarket, selling specialty Mexican products as well as fresh bakery items, meat and produce, opened in Rosemont, Calif., at the site of a Mexican supermarket that went out of business. Owner Manuel Pineda owns another store in Sacramentoand was seeking a second location.
Real Estate:
Aldi  supermarkets occupy spaces of 16,900 sq. ft. in freestanding locations.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout GA, excluding the Atlantametropolitan area, during the coming 18 months.  A land area of at least two acres is required.  The company will also consider locations in inline spaces of shopping centers. 
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is slated to open its first six stores in the Sacramento region in 2012.
Golub Corp. is seeking growth opportunities are sought throughout its existing markets during the coming 18 months.  Typical leases run 20 years.
Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. trades as Copps Food Store at 26 locations throughout WI. The supermarkets occupy spaces of 45,000 sq. ft. to 70,000 sq. ft. in freestanding locations and strip centers.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout the existing market during the coming 18 months.  Typical leases run 20 years.  Specific improvements are required.  Preferred cotenants include general merchandise retailers.  Major competitors include Walmart.  A land area of six acres is required for freestanding locations. 
Norrenberns Foods, Inc. supermarkets occupy spaces of 15,000 sq. ft. to 25,000 sq. ft. in freestanding locations.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout the existing market during the coming 18 months.  A vanilla shell is required.  Preferred demographics include a population of 10,000 within two miles earning $35,000 as the average household income.
Winn-Dixie Stores has announced that it will convert all SaveRite-branded grocery stores to conventional Winn-Dixie-branded stores and discontinue the SaveRite banner.
Technology News:
A&P has selected DemandTec’s Deal Management software service to help streamline its deal and allowance management capabilities.
Winn-Dixie Stores has selected IBM point-of-sale and self-checkout technology to help transform customer service, speed innovation and increase the operational efficiency of 484 Winn-Dixie store locations, and other store formats across the Southeastern United States. Winn-Dixie, working in collaboration with IBM and SAM Group Inc., will implement a network of 6,000 IBM SurePOS 700 systems armed with IBM’s SurePOS ACE and Retail Integration Framework software, which are components of IBM’s Smarter Checkout solution.  Winn-Dixie will also install IBM SurePoint infrared touch displays and SureMark thermal impact printers.
Green Initiatives:
Kroger announced that two of its Smith’s stores in Albuquerque, NMhave installed photovoltaic energy panels.
Food Lion stores was awarded the 2011 gold-level GreenChill store certification award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market announced it has installed solar panels on the rooftops of 10 stores in Phoenixand one in Los Angeles.