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Smart & Final promotes Scott Drew to COO
Veteran store operations executive named to newly created position
Russell Redman
June 12, 2020
2 Min Read
Smart & Final operates 255 locations in California, Arizona and Nevada, including 197 Smart & Final Extra! larger-format stores and 58 legacy Smart & Final stores.Smart & Final
Grocery industry veteran Scott Drew has been elevated to chief operating officer at warehouse-style grocery chain Smart & Final.
The promotion is effective immediately, Commerce, Calif.-based Smart & Final said late yesterday. Drew previously served as executive vice president of operations, a role he has held since 2015.
As COO, a newly created position at the company, Drew will continue to report to Dave Hirz, president and CEO.
“Scott is a seasoned industry executive with proven leadership skills, which have benefited Smart & Final for the past 10 years,” Hirz said in a statement. “Scott’s management style is all about coaching his team and being a servant leader. One of his biggest focus areas is the development of high -potential leaders in order to build our bench and ensure Smart & Final’s continued success.”
Drew (left) has been with Smart & Final since March 2010, when he joined the company as senior vice president of store operations. In various roles over that time span, he has led store operations, real estate, construction and maintenance, supply chain, and sales and merchandising. He also serves as chairman of Smart & Final Mexico, where the company has more than a dozen stores operated under a joint venture.
With more than 40 years in the retail grocery industry, Drew started his career in 1977 as a store courtesy clerk. He came to Smart & Final from The Kroger Co., where most recently he served as vice president of store operations for Kroger’s Central Division in Indianapolis, managing more than 150 stores in five states.
Smart & Final noted that Drew also serves on the board of several charities, including the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation, the Western Association of Food Chains and Olive Crest. He also is the president of the Food Industry Circle for City of Hope. And last year, he was named the executive-in-residence for the USC Marshall Food Industry Executive Program.
Overall, Smart & Final operates 255 locations in California, Arizona and Nevada, including 197 Smart & Final Extra! larger-format stores and 58 legacy Smart & Final stores.
