Last updated on January 23rd, 2018
Albertsons Cos. said Jan. 16 that President and COO Wayne Denningham plans to retire near the end of the company’s fiscal year, which typically falls in late February. Denningham’s career at Albertsons has spanned 40 years, having started working as a clerk as a teenager. Susan Morris will become EVP and COO, overseeing supply chain, manufacturing and operations functions at the grocer’s Boise, Idaho, corporate campus.
Morris also will continue to lead the Seattle, Portland, Northern California and Southern California divisions as part of her role.
“Susan is a talented leader within our company, and she fully embraces our entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to running really good stores,” said Bob Miller, chairman and CEO of Albertsons Cos. “Susan raised her hand to come to Albertsons LLC in 2010 when she was a senior vice president of sales and marketing for a competitor, and she took the only job we had open—a grocery sales manager in our Southwest Division. She has proven herself to be a valuable part of our leadership team in readily accepting new challenges, developing others and bringing teams together, and I know that her broad experience will be of significant value to Albertsons Cos. as we move forward.”
Morris began her career in Albertsons Denver Division while still in high school and worked her way up in the ranks over her 30-plus years in the retail grocery business. Her career has spanned roles from store director to corporate grocery sales director, VP of bakery and operations and, upon the sale of Albertsons Inc.’s assets to Supervalu, VP of customer satisfaction. In 2013, Morris was named Intermountain Division president after a three-year stint in the company’s Southwest Division, and subsequently was asked to lead the Denver Division in 2015. Morris was named EVP, East Operations in April 2016 and was moved to lead West Region Operations in March 2017.
Jim Perkins, EVP–operations and special projects, will continue as president of the Acme and Eastern divisions. Mike Withers, EVP–East Region operations, will lead the remaining six divisions—Denver, Intermountain, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Southern, Southwest, and United.
Albertsons operates stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia under 20 banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs, as well as meal kit company Plated based in New York City.
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