Pesco named CEO at Save Mart

The Save Mart Cos. on Thursday said Nicole Pesco would be named its CEO, filling a role last occupied by her late father, Bob Piccinini.

Pesco since 2014 has been serving as one of three co-presidents at Save Mart along with Steve Junquiero and Greg Hill. Junquiero, who is also COO, and Hill, also serving as CFO, will continue in those roles, Save Mart said. Pesco was serving as Save Mart’s chief strategy and branding officer in addition to her role as co-president.

The three leaders were appointed when Piccinini stepped down as CEO of the Modesto, Calif.-based retailer. He passed away in 2015. The triumvirate arrangement was similar to the leadership structure in place when Piccinini prepared to ascend to CEO of the company in the 1980s. Save Mart was founded by Piccinini’s father and uncle in 1952.

In her role as chief branding and strategy officer, Pesco was instrumental in creating the Lucky California store brand Save Mart debuted in a Daly City, Calif., store last summer. The store, Pesco told SN in an interview, was designed to evoke the uniqueness of the Bay Area, and was expected to be rolled out to additional Lucky stores in the area after a testing period.

Save Mart operates 211 stores in California and Nevada overall including 71 Lucky’s stores in the Bay Area; 82 full-service Save Mart stores in California’s Central Valley and in Western Nevada; 6 stores under the S-Mart name in Stockton and Lodi, Calif.; 51 FoodMaxx price-impact stores and 1 price impact store under the MaxxValue banner.