Personnel Updates:
Ahold USA announced that Gordon Reid has been named President of the company’s Giant Landover division. He succeeds Bhavdeep Singh, who has served as interim President since September 2013 and now will continue in the role of Exec VP Operations, for Ahold USA. He replaced Anthony Hucker, who resigned in September.
Atlas Oil Co. has announced the promotion of Michael Evans to the newly created position of President and COO.
BevMo! named Douglas J. Ratto as Exec VP and Chief Merchant. Ratto will lead the buying, planning, allocations and distribution teams at BevMo!.
Brookshire Grocery Co. announced that Rae Champagne is now VP, Education and Communications; Ginger McCullough is VP, Training and Change Management; Dave Moss is VP, Merchandising; and Ozzie Osborne is VP Facility Services.
NACS announced that it has hired Stephanie Sikorski to be its new Marketing Manager. She is a former marketing and communications manager at The Vision Council, and director of communications for the City of Tallahassee’s Animal Service Center.
The Parker Cos. made a new addition to its team by hiring Mike A. Gancedo as a Category Manager. He is now responsible for the sale of tobacco products at all Parker’s convenience stores.
Publix Super Markets appointed Kim Reynolds to the position of Media and Communications Manager of its newly launched Charlotte division.
Safeway said it has named Keith Colbourn Senior VP Loyalty and Analytics.
Weis Markets named Marie T. Underkoffler has joined Weis as Director of Compensation and Benefits. Weis also named James C. Murphy Director of Construction. John Neuberger, formerly Director of Loss Prevention at Price Chopper Supermarkets, has been hired to be the company’s new VP of Operational Administration.
Financial Focus:
Harris Teeter reported fiscal 2013 sales of $4.71 billion.
Wakefern Food Corporation reported fiscal 2013 sales of $14.1 billion.
Whole Foods Market reported fiscal 2013 sales of $12.917 billion.
Industry Insight:
Top Food & Drug in Yakima, WA, will close in the next three months. The company will shut stores in Auburn and Kent, WA. The closures are part of a long-term plan to strengthen the company.
Mergers and Acquisitions:
HAC, parent company of Homeland Stores, acquired 11 Belle Foods locations – 10 in Georgia and one in Alabama.
Rouses Markets said it will expand into Alabama in the next few weeks as it takes ownership of six former Belle Foods stores from its wholesaler, Associated Wholesale Grocers.
Publix Super Markets is exiting the convenience store business with the sale of its PIX locations. Alimentation Couche-Tard will purchase 13 of the 14 sties, while a single location in TN will be purchased by a family-owned company based in Kentucky.
Sobeys has completed its acquisition of Safeway Canada, a $5.8 billion deal that gained government approval last month with the provision that the company sells 23 stores. Safeway will realize about $4 billion from the sale, which it will use to pay down debt and buy back shares.
Susser Holdings Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the convenience store assets and fuel distribution contracts of Houston-based Sac-N-Pac Stores Inc. and 3W Warren Fuels Ltd. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including satisfactory completion of due diligence. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014. Terms were not disclosed.
Travel Centers of America LLC has announced that it has agreed to acquire 31 convenience stores with retail gasoline stations for $67 million, before closing costs and customary working capital adjustments.
Tops Markets has been sold to a group of its top managers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tops had been majority owned since 2007 by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners.
Real Estate:
Harris Teeter and BI-LO are rebranding stores acquired from Piggly Wiggly Carolina last month. Harris Teeter has reopened five stores, while BI-LO plans to relaunch five in November.
Green Initiatives:
The Green Building Initiative said Wegmans Food Markets has been awarded a “two Green Globes” certification for its store in Germantown, MD.
