Content about Delhaize Group

Brussels, Belgium -- Global supermarket operator Delhaize Group, whose U.S. divisions include Food Lion and Hannaford Bros., has named Maura Smith as executive VP, general counsel and general secretary. Smith formerly served as executive VP of government affairs, general counsel and secretary of PepsiCo and has 30 years of corporate legal experience.

Smith will report to CEO Pierre-Olivier Beckers and is succeeding Michael Wallers, who is entering a planned retirement.

New York -- Delhaize America is cutting 500 jobs, according to published reports.

News media in North Carolina reported that the Belgian supermarket operator's American subsidiary would cut 350 jobs and 150 open positions as part of a reorganization. Employees of the company received notifications of the layoffs via email, according to the reports.

New York -- Delhaize Group announced that it would close 33 under-performing Sweetbay stores in Florida by mid-February. The shutterings, which are part of a broader reorganization plan, amount to about one-third of the chain.

“While these decisions are difficult, especially given the impact on our associates, customers and communities, these actions will continue to enhance the performance of our overall store portfolio and further enable us to deliver profitable growth and accelerate shareholder value,” the company said in a statement.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Grocery parent Delhaize said Friday it has named former Wendy’s and Arby’s CEO Roland Smith as president and CEO of Delhaize America and executive VP of Delhaize Group. Smith succeeds retiring CEO Ronald C. Hodge, effective Oct. 15.

Hodge will continue to serve the company in an advisory capacity.

Delhaize America operates supermarkets under the Food Lion, Hannaford and Sweetbay banners.
 

Dallas -- Retalix Ltd. and Delhaize Group have signed a multi-year global strategic partnership agreement, under which Retalix will become the preferred supplier of in-store software for Delhaize Group’s 3,300 locations, including more than 20,000 point-of-sale terminals, across Eurasia and the United States.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Grocery chain Food Lion, a subsidiary of Delhaize America, said Wednesday that it has rolled out a previously announced new brand strategy to 268 stores in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. These markets are the first stores in 2012 to unfurl the new strategy, which is based on customer feedback. 

New York -- Belgian supermarket operator Delhaize Group said that its fourth quarter net profit dropped 48%, hurt by impairments resulting from its restructuring. It also announced that Mats Jansson will be the new chairman of the board, and that Pierre Bouchut will succeed Stefan Descheemaeker as CFO, effective March 19.

The company, whose U.S. holdings include the Food Lion, Hannaford Bros. and Sweetbay banners, said it will accelerate the revamp of its stores in the United States and Belgium to increase its competitiveness.

Brussels -- Belgian supermarket operator Delhaize Group, which operates the Food Lion, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys, Hannaford Supermarkets, Reid's and Sweetbay regional banners in the United States, said Thursday it will close 113 Food Lion stores and eliminate the Bloom banner as part of a reorganization. The Fool Lion stores slated for closure are primarily in markets in which the company has the least store density.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Grocery chain Food Lion said Tuesday that two of its stores have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2011 Gold-Level GreenChill Store Certification Award, one of the agency's highest honors for refrigeration.

The stores are located in Conyers, Ga., and in Columbia, S.C.

Food Lion became a founding partner with the EPA's GreenChill program in 2007. Since that time, the grocer joined other food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease impact on the ozone layer and climate change. Food Lion has won GreenChill's Distinguished Partner Award and its Superior Environmental Achievement Award in the past.

"Our company is committed to going beyond simply reducing refrigerants," said Susan Sollenberger, director of energy, maintenance and equipment purchasing at Delhaize America South. "In addition to reducing emissions through the EPA's GreenChill partnership, we continue to look for new environmentally-friendly technologies and increase the amount of stores that are also Energy Star certified."

Food Lion has more than half of the nation's Energy Star stores, with 1,015 certified stores. In addition, the company has partnered with utilities to evaluate a variety of energy saving opportunities, such as solar power. 

Brussels, Belgium -- Belgian supermarket retailer Delhaize Group said Wednesday that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Serbian retailer Delta Maxi.

Combined with its existing operations in Greece and Romania, Delhaize is now, with this transaction, considered a leading retail force in Southeastern Europe.

Shanghai — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it has appointed its current Canada finance chief Sean Clarke as COO over the company’s China operations, after former CFO Roland Lawrence and COO Rob Cissell left the company in May.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Clarke will be joined by Steve Smith, named chief marketing officer in China. Smith was senior VP at Delhaize Group.