Wholesalers

The 95-year old co-founder of the North Carolina-based supermarket chain that became Food Lion has died at the age of 95.
 
Ralph Ketner and two others in 1957 founded Food Town, which changed its name to Food Lion in 1982.  

Supervalu is adding a veteran wholesale executive to a new C-level position and also enacting several other changes to its senior leadership team.

James Weidenheimer, 57, has been named to the newly-created position of executive VP, corporate development and chief innovation officer, reporting to Supervalu president and CEO Mark Gross. Weidenheimer joins the company after having spent the last 16 years in senior leadership positions with C&S Wholesale Grocers. He is expected to start in his new role by April 25, 2016.

Persistence has paid off at Ingles Market for Jim Lanning who was elevated to the role of CEO after joining the $3.8 billion supermarket chain 41 years earlier.

Asheville, NC.-based Ingles Markets named Lanning, 56, to the role of CEO, filling a position previously held by company Chairman Robert P. Ingle, II. Lanning will retain his position as president while Ingle, 47, will continue to serve as chairman and continue his day-to-day active operational role in the executive leadership of the company, according to a statement.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch is reporting that the 19 Martin’s Food Markets stores in the area will be either sold or closed as the completion of parent company Ahold’s merger with Delhaize Group. The Richmond-area stores are just some of the 83 stores the combined companies are looking to unload across the eastern and northeastern U.S. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Citing union sources, The Bellingham Herald on Tuesday reported that Albertsons is prepared to acquire the remaining core stores of Haggen with the blessing of the Federal Trade Commission. "It appears that other bidders are not going to raise their bids or otherwise make them qualified bids, so the scheduled auction is cancelled and the sale to Albertsons will be put before the court for approval in the next week," representatives of Haggen union workers released in a statement.

The Golub Corp., operators of the Price Chopper grocery store chain, named Scott Grimmett as president and CEO. Grimmett, who has been part of the family-owned company’s succession plan since joining Golub in January 2012 as executive VP and COO, is the first non-family member to head up the chain. He replaces Jerry Golub, who has been appointed vice chairman of the board

Publix Super Markets is getting a new CEO after Ed Crenshaw announced his retirement on Wednesday.

The company announced that Crenshaw will step down effective April 30. Upon Crenshaw’s retirement, current company President Todd Jones will become president and CEO.