Salisbury, N.C. — According to Ahold Delhaize USA, Meg Ham, president of Food Lion, plans to retire on May 2, 2025 after more than 35 years with the organization. She has been at the helm of Food Lion for more than a decade and has been part of the brand’s unprecedented growth. A successor for Ham will be announced before year-end. “Meg has been an outstanding leader at Ahold Delhaize USA and has led Food Lion during one of the brand’s most exciting times as it repositioned itself to better …
New Albany, Ohio — Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has promoted veteran finance leader Robert Ball to chief financial officer. In his new role, which began on Nov. 20, Ball serves on the company’s executive leadership team and continues to report to Scott Lipesky, executive vice president and chief operating officer. Ball, previously the company’s senior vice president of corporate finance, investor relations and treasury, brings nearly 22 years of experience leading key Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) finance and strategy functions to the role. Lipesky, who served as the …
Philadelphia — Five Below, Inc., the extreme-value retailer for teens and pre-teens, has appointed Winnie Park as chief executive officer (CEO) and a member of its board of directors, effective Dec. 16, 2024. An accomplished retail executive with a career spanning more than three decades, Park has extensive experience in driving customer-centric business strategies, merchandising and brand building across a broad spectrum of specialty and value retail. Most recently, she was CEO at Forever 21. In her new role, she will partner closely with Kenneth Bull, who will continue as …
Ontario, Calif. — Heritage Grocers Group, a leading specialty grocer focused on serving the Hispanic community, has named Suzy Monford to the role of CEO. A seasoned industry executive, Monford brings more than 25 years of experience and a proven track record of transformational leadership and innovation at industry-leading food retailers. She currently serves as CEO of Food Sport International, a global consultancy that advises retailers on financial and impact value creation. Prior to her role at Food Sport International, Monford was the CEO of PCC Community Markets, where she …
San Diego — Jack in the Box Inc. is undergoing a strategic leadership restructure. Tony Darden, senior vice president and chief operating officer, who has been a valued member of the Jack in the Box executive team since June 2021, will depart from his role. Darden’s departure is consistent with a planned restructure that includes Ryan Ostrom, currently serving as executive vice president, chief marketing & digital officer, assuming responsibility for Jack in the Box operations in addition to his current function. Ostrom has been named chief customer & digital …
Minneapolis — Alissa Partee, chief people officer (CPO) at Restaurant Technologies, has transitioned into a new role as the company’s chief operations officer (COO). In her previous role, Partee led the human resources team at Restaurant Technologies and joined the company as CPO in 2020. During her tenure, the company grew from 1,000 employees to over 1,500 nationwide. In addition to her role as CPO over the last year, Partee led the implementation of a new 9-person operations excellence team — a team that she will continue to lead in …
Menomonee Falls, Wis. — Kohl’s Corporation has announced that CEO Tom Kingsbury plans to step down on Jan. 15, 2025. He will stay on in an advisory role to the new CEO and retain his position on Kohl’s board of directors through his retirement in May 2025. The board has appointed retail veteran Ashley Buchanan as CEO, effective Jan. 15. Buchanan has been CEO of Michaels Companies since 2020 and, prior to that, has held a variety of senior executive roles at Walmart and Sam’s Club during his 13 years …
Miami — Subway has announced that John Chidsey, global chief executive officer (CEO), will retire from the company at the end of 2024, after 5 years of leadership in the role. Carrie Walsh, Subway’s current president of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and former global chief marketing officer (CMO), will assume the role of Iinterim CEO, while a search is conducted to identify Chidsey’s permanent successor. Chidsey joined Subway in 2019 as the brand’s first CEO outside of the founding family and led a multi-year transformation of the business. …
Dallas — Smoothie King, the world’s largest smoothie brand and the first health and fitness fast-casual brand of its kind, has appointed Jyoti Lynch as its new chief information officer (CIO). Lynch started in late October, and in this role, she leads the brand’s technology strategy, ensuring that innovation continues to enhance Smoothie King’s digital transformation and guest experience. Lynch brings more than 25 years of experience as a proven technology expert with a successful track record in building and transforming well-known restaurant, retail and technology brands; growing company revenue, …
Irving, Texas — The Michaels Companies, Inc. has announced that Ashley Buchanan is stepping down from his role as chief executive officer and member of the board of directors, effective Jan. 15, 2025. The board of directors has already initiated a CEO search with leading executive search firm, Spencer Stuart. “On behalf of the board and Michaels team members, I want to thank Ashley for his valuable contributions since he joined the company in 2020,” says Andrew Jhawar, chairman of the board. “Ashley has led Michaels through significant transformation, delivering …
