Several grocers made senior executive and president-level changes in their leadership ranks last month. Wakefern Food Corp. appointed a pair of new group vice presidents while Publix made changes in preparation for the departure of its vice president of internal audit.
Here’s a roundup of top-level executive shifts that unfolded in October.
Grocery Outlet names new supply chain leader
The discounter named Scott Fremont as its new chief supply chain officer. Fremont spent nearly two decades with Target, where he held numerous supply chain positions during his tenure.
Fremont’s appointment comes as Grocery Outlet undergoes a number of strategic initiatives that aim to further drive supply chain efficiencies.
Wakefern appoints 2 group vice presidents
Wakefern named Mark Van Buskirk as its new vice president of its center store division and tapped Travis Riepenhoff to take on Van Buskirk’s former role as group vice president of fresh.
Riepenhoff joined Wakefern from Giant Eagle, where he most recently served as vice president of fresh merchandising. Meanwhile, Van Buskirk took over for his new role from Paul Patten, who retired from Wakefern.
Publix shuffles leadership amid vice president’s retirement
Publix Vice President of Internal Audit Linda Hall is retiring, effective Jan. 1, and, in response, the grocer named Director of Internal Audit Meghan Vazquez as her successor.
The Florida-based grocer also announced the promotions of Aleece Tiedt to vice president and controller and Bill Hammond to vice president, assistant general counsel and assistant secretary.
Dollar General welcomes back former C-suite executive
Donny Lau rejoined the dollar retailer on Oct. 20 after a nearly three-year absence, replacing Kelly Dilts as CFO. Dilts departed from Dollar General in late August and CEO Todd Vasos had served as the company’s principal financial officer in the interim.
Lau joined restaurant chain Zaxby’s as CFO in 2023. Before that, he served in various leadership positions at Dollar General, including chief strategy officer.
Stater Bros. announces promotion of veteran executive
The grocer named Richard Aaron as its senior manager of retail loss prevention, according to a company LinkedIn post. Aaron has been with Stater Bros. Markets for nearly 21 years and has held titles such as security specialist and manager of retail loss prevention. He will report to Director of Loss Prevention Todd Fernandez.
