BOISE, Idaho -- Paul T. Gannon, the newly named chief marketing officer for Albertsons here, said his new responsibilities will involve taking existing Albertsons programs and moving them forward "so customers know and understand better what we're doing."
"It's all about building the brand," Gannon told SN last week.
Gannon was president and chief executive officer of Shaw's Supermarkets, West Bridgewater, Mass., at the time it was acquired by Albertsons in April. In his new position as chief marketing officer, he will be responsible for marketing functions across all of Albertsons' food and drug banners, encompassing consumer research, eBusiness, price/promotion/assortment strategy, brand management, advertising and format development.
Gannon's first priority will involve setting strategies for strengthening the chain's image "by taking a step back, looking at all the components we've put in place that are important to customers in the areas of pricing, promotions, customer service and quality offerings, and then beefing up those programs," he stated.
"For example, Albertsons has rolled out its loyalty card program, which was step one. Step two will involve building that program so people can take better advantage of it.
"At store level, we've already begun to install some Albertsons programs at Shaw's, including 10-for-10 zones, Steakhouse Choice Angus beef, Cheep Chicken and Friday Rose Fairs, and we've begun installing modules from Shaw's at Albertsons stores, including Wild Harvest natural and organic food sections and Shop the World international food sections.
"The job now is to make sure that's being done in a way that's most effective for both banners."
"The goal is to take the best of the best from each operation. There are a lot of things Albertsons feels Shaw's does well, and it wants to incorporate modules from Shaw's into the Albertsons stores. There are some marketing and pricing programs that Albertsons uses that could benefit Shaw's."
