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Albertsons promotes Evan Rainwater to supply chain EVP

Former Safeway executive to oversee distribution, procurement and manufacturing

Russell Redman

March 20, 2020

1 Min Read
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Albertsons Cos. operates more than 2,200 stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 retail banners.Albertsons

Evan Rainwater has been appointed executive vice president of supply chain and manufacturing at Albertsons Cos.

Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, in announcing the promotion late yesterday, said Rainwater will now direct the supermarket giant’s global procurement, manufacturing and distribution groups.

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Rainwater (left) previously served as senior vice president of manufacturing. In that role, he had responsibility for the Albertsons' 20 food production plants, including seven milk plants, four soft-drink bottling plants, three bakery plants, two ice cream plants, two grocery/prepared food plants, one ice plant and one soup plant. He also leads the company's Goods Not for Resale efforts.

“Evan is relentlessly focused on creating and executing key strategies and tactics that create a lean operating culture,” Albertsons Cos. President and CEO Vivek Sankaran said in a statement. “His background in logistics and extensive experience with our manufacturing operations will be a key asset for our entire supply chain operation.”

Rainwater came to Albertsons in March 2015 as senior VP and general manager of manufacturing, just over a month after the company completed its merger with Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway. He previously served in a nearly 15-year stint at Safeway, most recently as group VP of supply chain and logistics. Before that, he held senior management roles in manufacturing and logistics for Winn-Dixie, Rubbermaid and the plastics division of Mobil Oil. He also served as director of manufacturing in an earlier four-year stint at Safeway, prior to joining Winn-Dixie.

Related:Albertsons EVP Shane Dorcheus gets expanded operations role

Overall, Albertsons Cos. operates more than 2,200 stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 retail banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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