Movers & Shakers: Macy's CEO retiring plus Giant Eagle, Rite Aid and more shuffle leadership
Macy’s CEO set to retire
Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO of Macy’s, will retire early next year, the department store chain announced on March 29. Gennette has led the company for seven years. The company said Tony Spring, Macy’s Inc. executive vice president and Bloomingdale’s chairman and CEO, has been appointed by the board of directors as Macy’s president and CEO-elect. Adrian Mitchell, Macy’s chief financial officer, will also assume the role of chief operating officer as part of the transition, Macy’s release said. Spring has worked for Bloomingdale’s for 36 years. Spring will be responsible for leading Macy’s digital, customer, merchandising and brand teams. He will also oversee Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury. “I am honored to be named president and CEO-elect of Macy’s Inc. Having worked closely with Jeff throughout our transformation, I see tremendous opportunity to build upon the storied reputation of each of our nameplates,” Spring said.
Giant Eagle CEO departs
In a March 21 statement, Laura Karet stepped down as Giant Eagle CEO, effective immediately. “My tenure at Giant Eagle has been incredibly rewarding, and I have been privileged to guide the organization through intricate challenges and unprecedented achievements,” she wrote. Karet served as the leader of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based grocer for 11 years. She first joined the company in 2000 as a vice president of marketing and later worked as senior vice president and president of new formats, pioneering the grocer’s Market District concept, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bill Artman, Giant Eagle’s president of supermarkets, was appointed the grocer’s interim CEO.
Wakefern Food Corp. names Stigers new president
Retailer-owned cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. on March 24 said Mike Stigers would assume the role of president on June 1. Stigers replaces Joe Sheridan, who announced his retirement last year and will remain at the company through the end of 2023, the release said. Sheridan has been president of Wakefern for 11 years and has worked there for 47 years. Stigers has served as CEO of UNFI subsidiary Cub Foods since 2009. He previously worked for eight years at SuperValu as the president of Shaw’s/Star Market, the release said. “Mike brings with him five decades of industry leadership, proven success and respect among his peers and the supplier community. Wakefern will benefit from that broad knowledge base and leadership experience,” said Joe Colalillo, Wakefern’s chairman, in the release.
Rite Aid’s chief retail officer exits
Andre Persaud has departed his role as the head of Rite Aid’s retail efforts. Persaud in the summer of 2021 was named Rite Aid’s executive vice president and chief retail officer, where he was tasked with overseeing Rite Aid’s retail and pharmacy operations. Ben Miller, Rite Aid’s senior vice president of central retail operations, has been selected to serve as acting head of retail operations, and Karen Staniforth, Rite Aid’s chief pharmacy officer, will oversee Rite Aid’s store pharmacy operations, the company told Drug Store News. From 2018 to 2020, Persaud was an executive consultant at Wakefern Food Corp., according to his LinkedIn page.
Cardenas Markets appoints Stover CEO
Heritage Grocers Group on March 22 announced it promoted Eric Stover as CEO of Hispanic grocer Cardenas Markets. Stover will report directly to Heritage Grocers Group Chairman and CEO Doug Sanders. Since 2020, Stover has served as Cardenas’ chief merchandising officer. “Serving as chief merchandising officer for Cardenas since 2020, he led multiple successful initiatives focused on meeting and expanding our customer’s evolving food preferences while optimizing their shopping experiences, both in-store and online,” Sanders said. Prior to joining Cardenas, Stover had roles at Wild Oats, Henry’s Farmers Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, United Natural Foods and KeHE Distributors.
Weis promotes Gregas to private brand director
Weis in a March 22 release said it promoted Alison Gregas to director of private brands. In the role, Gregas will lead new product development and the day-to-day management of Weis’ private-brand program, which includes Weis Quality, Weis By Nature and Weis Organics, the release said. Before joining the company, Gregas from 2018 to 2020 was the perishables business development manager for Daymon Worldwide, Weis’ private brands brokerage company, according to her LinkedIn. She officially joined Weis in 2020, first as a private brands sourcing specialist and since 2021 was a private brands manager.