Personnel Updates

• Ahold Delhaize announced that Nick Bertram, currently Senior VP of Merchandising, has been named President of Giant/Martin’s, effective early next year succeeding the retiring Tom Lenkevich.

• Albertsons announced that Dennis Clark, Group VP of Marketing & Merchandising, has been promoted to Senior VP of Merchandising while Pat Brown, VP of Merchandising Strategic Initiatives, has been named Group VP of Merchandising, responsible for Deli & Prepared Foods and Business Initiatives.

• Fresh Thyme Farmers Market named Carol Okamoto CFO and Mark Doiron Chief Merchandising Officer.

• Southeastern Grocers announced that CEO Ian McLeod will step down from the position after two years in the role. McLeod will be replaced on an interim basis by Chief Operating Officer Anthony Hucker.

• The Fresh Market announced that Rick Anicetti has resigned as CEO and Board member; CFO Brian Nicholson has been appointed Interim CEO in addition to his current role.

• SUPERVALU CFO Bruce Besanko is resigning effective next week “to pursue an opportunity outside the company.”

• SpartanNash has announced the resignation of Exec VP and CFO Christopher Meyers; Thomas Van Hall will serve in the role interim.

• Weis Markets hired Ron Bonacci as its new VP of Marketing and Advertising.

 

Industry Insight

• Shipt has formed a partnership with Lowes Foods for grocery delivery services to residents in Winston-Salem, NC.

• Walmart has launched a test of a 24-Hour Pickup automated grocery service at an Oklahoma location that includes a kiosk shoppers use to enter a code and a unit that can hold 30,000 grocery items, including refrigerated and frozen items.

 

Real Estate

• ALDI will open at least 20 new stores in Southern California’s highly competitive grocery market within the next year. Aldi already operates 38 stores there.

 

Mergers and Acquisitions

• Amazon has agreed to acquire Whole Foods Markets Inc.

• Strack & Van Til President and CEO Jeff Strack, along with members of the Strack and Van Til families, have purchased 20 stores in a bankruptcy auction, marking a return for the original family ownership.

• SUPERVALU completed its purchase of Unified Grocers Inc.