MINNEAPOLIS — SUPERVALU INC has communicated that Sue Klug, president of its Albertsons Southern California division, has announced she will be leaving the company this month, resulting in the appointments of new leadership in three of the company's market areas.
"Sue has been a champion of diversity and environmental stewardship for the company, and has been honored within the industry and community for these efforts," said Pete Van Helden, SUPERVALU executive vice president of retail operations. "We thank Sue for her years of service and leadership in Southern California and wish her well as she moves on to dedicate her talent and attention to long-time personal and professional ambitions."
Dan Sanders to head Albertsons Southern California
Replacing Klug will be Dan Sanders, current president of SUPERVALU's ACME Markets division, based in Philadelphia. Sanders joined ACME in 2010 and led the division as it embarked on a large-scale effort to lower prices, improve sales and profitability, refocus customer service efforts and enhance shopper satisfaction. Although there is work left to do, these efforts have helped set a firmer foundation for ACME as it competes in a rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace. Sanders came to ACME from United Supermarkets in Lubbock, Texas, where he served as the chief executive officer for six years. During his time with United, Sanders served on the board of directors for the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC).
Keith Wyche to lead ACME
With the announcement, Keith Wyche will become the new president at ACME. He currently serves as the president of SUPERVALU's Cub Foods division, a full-service retail and pharmacy chain with 67 stores in Minnesota and Illinois. A strong leader at Cub, Wyche has improved sales trends and grown profitability since joining the company in 2010. In addition to guiding the division's strategy, he has been an active member in the community. Wyche began his career in sales, marketing and management roles with AT&T and IBM. Prior to coming to SUPERVALU, he was president of U.S. operations for Pitney Bowes' Pitney Management Services division. Before that, he held various sales leadership and general management positions with Convergys and Ameritech. He is on the corporate board of directors for WMS Industries.
Brian Audette named president at Cub Foods
Brian Audette has been named president of Cub Foods. Audette began his grocery career working in Pick 'N Save stores in Wisconsin. He joined SUPERVALU in 1991, gaining more than 20 years of experience in positions of increasing responsibility within category management, marketing and merchandising. He served as the group vice president of independent sales, marketing and merchandising within the supply chain organization before being named business transformation officer in 2010. Last year, he was promoted to group vice president of merchandising transformation and process improvement. Audette's work has given him in-depth exposure to both the retail and wholesale areas of the business, and his intimate knowledge of the needs of the independent retailer will provide a strong foundation for his new role with Cub's franchise owners.
Commenting on the leadership moves, Van Helden said, "Dan, Keith and Brian embody the entrepreneurial spirit that is at the core of our hyperlocal strategy. Coupled with their combined experience in the industry and their working knowledge of SUPERVALU's strategy and operations, I believe they are ideally suited for their new responsibilities." Van Helden added, "I have full confidence in their abilities to lead their new teams to achieve our sales, profitability and growth objectives."
ABOUT SUPERVALU
SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest companies in the U.S. grocery channel with annual sales of approximately $35 billion. SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of approximately 4,300 stores composed of 1,102 traditional retail stores, including 797 in-store pharmacies; 1,332 hard-discount stores, of which 935 are operated by licensee owners; and 1,900 independent stores serviced primarily by the company's traditional food distribution business. SUPERVALU has approximately 130,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU visit www.supervalu.com.
Source: SUPERVALU INC
