Stop & Shop announces new CEO

Brief description of the dive:

• Ahold Delhaize USA has named Roger Wheeler president of Stop & Shop, effective Sept. 30.
• Wheeler, chief commercial officer of Ahold Delhaize USA, will replace Gordon Reid, who has served as president of the Northeastern network since 2019 and will retire next year.
• The management change comes as Stop & Shop looks to turnaround after years of poor performance.

Diving Insight:

Stop Delhaize will soon hand over the reins of the ailing Stop & Shop chain to a director who has many years of experience both with the brand and in the parent company’s centralized operations.

As Ahold Delhaize As U.S. CCO and head of supply chain, Wheeler has helped expand the company’s commercial capabilities and drive efficiencies across the organization, according to Tuesday’s announcement. Prior to that role, Wheeler spent seven years as president of the company’s Retail Business Services unit, helping launch the services organization and leading the transformation of the supply chain and information technology.

Wheeler also served as Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at Stop Delhaize USA, and from 2005 to 2010 he was vice president of meat and seafood at Stop & Shop, according to his LinkedIn profileHe began his career at Shaw’s Supermarkets in the Northeast, where he rose from store manager to vice president of meat and seafood.

“At Ahold Delhaize USA, the strength of our organization is that we have a lot of talented internal leaders who will ensure a smooth transition” – JJ FleemanCEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, said in a statement. “Roger, a Massachusetts native with more than 30 years of experience in the supermarket industry and nearly 20 years of experience with Ahold Delhaize USA and Stop & Shop, is the right person to drive the Stop & Shop brand forward.”

Stop & Shop operates approximately 360 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.

In the announcement, Wheeler cited his experience with Stop & Shop and familiarity with the brand, stating, “Not only have I spent a significant portion of my career working for this brand, but I am also a long-time customer and feel a strong passion for the communities Stop & Shop serves.”

Reid, who took over as Stop & Shop’s president in 2019, will assist the company in transitioning leadership until his retirement next year.

Wheeler’s primary focus in his new role will be improving Stop & Shop’s position in the highly competitive Northeast grocery market. For years, Stop & Shop did not meet expectations compared to other Ahold Delhaize USA brands, as retailers like Wegmans, ShopRite and Big Y have tightened their approach.

Industry experts have stated that the banner shopping experience is insufficient in several key areas.

“They’re not known for their prices, they’re not known for their crazy indoor experiences (and) they’re not known for being local and regional,” he said John Clear, senior director in the consumer and retail group at consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal, in an interview earlier“The question is, what do they represent?”

This summer, Stop & Shop announced that close 32 not meeting expectations shops. It is also in progress chain a shop refurbishment programme which started a few years ago but it was delayed a lot its initial schedule. The program includes new gas stations, a revamped product lineup and updated design elements, among other changes.

Stop & Shop has also been working to make its stores more relevant to the local communities they serve. This summer, Stop & Shop opened a new flagship store in Boston that offers a larger selection of grab-and-go options along with several hundred new multicultural products that reflect consumer preferences in surrounding neighborhoods, the chain said.

In August, Stop & Shop announced that stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products in all its stores.