DATATRAC
Personnel Updates
• Aldi U.S. promoted Brent Laubaugh to Co-president, effective 3-28-2016.
• CoGo’s Co. named John Eby III President and CEO succeeding company founder Carl Colteryahn Jr.
• Kroger Co. announced that Senior VP of Retail Operations and strategic initiatives will retire 4-29-2016 after 44 years with the company. Jay Cummins, President of the chain’s Smith’s division, plans to retire on 4-29-2016 after 44 years with the parent company. A successor will be named at a later date, the company said.
• Sobeys Inc. announced that Yves Laverdière, the Senior VP Merchandising, for the company’s IGA banner, has been named president of its Quebec business unit.
• Smart & Final named Leland P. Smith as Senior VP and General Counsel. He succeeds Donald Alvarado, who has retired after 28 years with the company. Smith was previously CAO and general counsel for Guitar Center.
• Sprouts Farmers Market announced the hiring of Brad Lukow, the former CFO at Canada’s Shoppers Drug Mart, to be its new CFO.
• SUPERVALU announced that Ritchie Casteel, President of Save-A-Lot, will leave the company 3-11-2016.
• Southeastern Grocers hired Anthony Hucker as COO. Hucker has previously worked for Schnucks, Walmart and Aldi.
• SpartanNash said that Chris Meyers will become its new CFO, effective 3-11-2016. Meyers has been serving in the same role for Kehe Distributors.
• Wakefern Food Corp. announced that Cheryl Williams has been named Chief Information Officer, responsible for coordinating cyber security efforts and technology.
• Weis Markets hired Crystal Osunde as Director of Pharmacy Operations and Ed Sheedy as Director of Category Analysis, Promotional Income & Retail Strategies.
Industry Insight
• Kroger-owned Roundy’s will open a new Metro Market store banner, which are targeted towards millennials and urban professionals who take multiple grocery shopping trips each week.
Financial Focus
• The Kroger Co. reported fiscal 2015 sales of $109 billion.
Real Estate
• Aldi will open 45 stores in Southern California beginning 3-24-2016. The company plans to open 19 additional stores between April and July, with the rest opening before the end of 2016,
• Food Lion will invest $215 million in the Charlotte, NC, market to remodel 142 stores between May and October to make the stores easier to shop while cutting prices on frequently purchased items. The locations will remain open during remodeling. Renovations are currently underway at 40 stores.
• Fresh Thyme Farmers Market will open up to 35 stores in Michigan over the next 15 years, according to CEO Chris Sherrell. The company currently operates five stores in Michigan.
• Kroger will invest $260 million in its Fry’s Food Stores banner and open seven new Fry’s stores in Arizona this year, with six of them slated to be large-format Marketplace stores.
Mergers & Acquisitions
• Albertsons will buy four Paul’s Market stores in Idaho and transition them to its own banner, according to the companies. Albertsons will also acquire three additional Paul’s Market locations that are slated to close. The deal is expected to close in April 2016.
• KeHe, the specialty food distributor, has acquired Monterrey Provision Co.
• Eby-Brown Co. LLC has reached a definitive agreement to purchase the assets of Liberty USA., which is the largest independently owned convenience-store supplier in Pennsylvania servicing 2,000 retail customers in six eastern states.
Green Initiatives
• Whole Foods has partnered with SolarCity and NRG Energy Inc. to install rooftop solar units at up to 100 stores and distribution centers.
