Metro COO Sawyer Leaves for Rona

MONTREAL — Metro Inc. here said Wednesday it would not replace Robert Sawyer, its chief operating officer who is leaving to become president and chief executive officer of Canadian home improvement chain Rona.

Rona, based in Boucherville, Quebec, said Tuesday Sawyer is an “operations and distribution specialist” who will lead a “transformational strategy" that Rona unveiled last month.

Sawyer has been executive vice president and COO at Metro for the past four years, and has spent more than 30 years at the supermarket company in various positions.

A spokeswoman for Metro told SN that his position there will remain vacant. Local reports said his duties will be assumed by Metro’s CEO, Eric LaFleche, and its chief financial officer, Francois Thibault.