JACKSON, Miss. -- Jitney-Jungle Stores of America said last week that W.H. Holman Jr., chairman for the past 31 years, has decided to retire.
E. Julian, president and chief executive officer.
Holman is a member of one of the three families that founded Jitney-Jungle in 1919. The families agreed in 1996 to sell the company to Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co., a New York-based investment firm.
During Holman's tenure as chairman, the company grew from 32 stores in Mississippi to 198 stores in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida. The company said it expects this year's sales to exceed $52 billion.
Holman gave up the title of chief executive officer when Julian was hired in February 1997.
According to Holman, "Jitney-Jungle got to where it is today because of the hard work of its employees and their commitment to the highest quality of service. If I am to be remembered for any one thing, I would like it to be that I had a knack for hiring good people."
Said Julian: "The retail grocery business is intensely competitive and endlessly demanding, and it requires of its leaders a combination of vision, creativity, intuition and a willingness to work 25 hours a day. No one embodies those qualities to a greater degree than Henry Holman. "
