Personnel Updates

Albertsons hired Joe Kelley, formerly President of Stop & Shop in New England, as VP of Marketing and Merchandising for the Shaw’s and Star Market division.

Lipari Foods, LLC announced the promotion of Spiro Liras to VP Manufacturing.

Meijer hired Tod Pepin, formerly Senior VP of Merchandising at Delhaize’s Hannaford supermarkets, as Senior VP of foods.

Unified Grocers announced that Exec VP and CFO Richard J. Martin. Succeeding him as Exec VP and CFO will be Michael F. Henn, who is joining Unified after serving as managing director of R.E. Stangeland Enterprises, San Marino.

Whole Foods hired Don J. Clark, who has worked previously for Target Corp., to be its new global VP of Purchasing for non-perishables.

Industry Insight

Sendik’s Food Markets introduced Sendik’s Express at seven of its stores in Wisconsin. The online grocery service allows customers to choose grocery items and have orders assembled by Sendik’s staff. When arriving at the chosen store, customers can have their groceries loaded for them into cars.

Golub Corporation, which operates the Price Chopper supermarket chain, recently opened its fourth Market 32 format store.  This was the first Market 32 built from the ground up, while the first three Market 32 locations were converted from previous Price Chopper locations.  There are two Market 32 stores in Massachusetts and two stores in New York.

Mergers and Acquisitions

CST Brands Inc. announced a proposed exclusivity agreement to purchase all of Flash Foods Inc., Waycross, Ga., and certain related entities in Georgia and Florida from the Jones Co. The deal is projected to close in mid-2016.

Niemann Foods has agreed to purchase six County Market stores operated by Covington Foods. Terms were not disclosed, while the deal is expected on or before January 7^th, 2016.

Key Food Stores acquired 23 supermarket locations in the A&P bankruptcy auction. For the first time, the member-owned cooperative will have two locations corporately operated. The company expects the deal to close in mid-November with grand openings in Spring 2016.

World Fuel Services has acquired Pester Marketing Co. including Alta Fuels LLC and Alta Transportation LLC. Pester operates 57 convenience stores in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and New Mexico.

Real Estate

Lidl, which competes with fellow discounter Aldi, has broken ground on a regional headquarters and distribution center in Virginia’s Spotsylvania County. The retailer has acquired several land parcels in the metro Virginia areas. Lidl has previously announced plans for a regional/distribution office in Alamance County, NC along with several new stores in the Charlotte, NC Market. Internationally, Lidl operates nearly 10,000 stores across 26 European countries. Like its chief competitor Aldi, it thrives with low prices and a compact store format. Published reports indicate Lidl purchased four aces of land in Spotsylvania County with plans to build a 36,000 sq. ft. location. The county is located in Washington DC metro core-based statistical area, which houses a vast assortment of supermarket retailers.

Roundy’s will open the largest Mariano’s supermarket in Chicago. The two-story,  83,000 sq. ft. location will feature the chain’s signature specialty sections, such as Oki Sushi, an Oyster Bar, Todds BBQ and SQUEEZ’D, as well as a patisserie, a cheese and charcuterie shop and a VEG’D department for vegans and vegetarians.