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Save A Lot taps Fred Boehler as permanent CEO
Board member had served as interim chief executive after the exit of Leon Bergmann.
3 Min Read
Boehler, a Save A Lot board member for over two years, had been serving as interim CEO since the end of October. / Photo courtesy of Save A Lot
Save A Lot took just over a month to decide on a full-time chief executive officer.
St. Ann, Missouri-based Save A Lot said Wednesday that its board of directors has appointed Fred Boehler as permanent CEO. Boehler, a Save A Lot board member since July 2021, had been serving as interim CEO of the discount grocery banner since Oct. 31 after the resignation of previous CEO Leon Bergmann.
Save A Lot, a retailer-turned-wholesaler, said a search is under way to fill Boehler’s vacated seat on the board.
“I’m thrilled to join this talented team of executives and independent retailers who are deeply committed to serving customers with outstanding value and quality groceries,” Boehler said in a statement. “I believe the Save A Lot business model can uniquely deliver against the many challenges of today’s grocery industry. I look forward to working with my colleagues to deliver growth in this important service and to re-establish the Save A Lot brand as the leading hometown grocer.”
Fred Boehler, Save A Lot's new CEO. / Photo courtesy of Save A Lot
Save A Lot noted that Boehler brings more than 30 years of industry experience, most recently a stretch as president and CEO of Americold Logistics from 2015 to 2021, where he took the company public in January 2018.
His background spans retail and wholesale businesses as well as large- and small-scale companies in a wide range of growth phases. Before Americold, he spent four years at Supervalu (now United Natural Foods Inc.), most recently as senior vice president of supply chain; over nine years at Borders Group, including as senior VP of logistics and purchasing; almost five years at Newell Rubbermaid, with his latest role being corporate manager for logistics support; and over five years at Poly-Seal Corp., most recently as logistics manager.
“Fred’s deep expertise in the industry and his understanding of wholesale and logistics is particularly powerful for the Save A Lot brand following its shift to focus to operate as a licensed wholesaler,” Save A Lot Chairman Mike Motz stated. “He is known for developing innovative, customer-centric supply chain solutions and has demonstrated consistent leadership in delivering against a long-term vision and strategy.
“With his additional experience on the Save A Lot board of directors, Fred is well-suited to lead the business as it is positioned today and to partner with its strong network of retail partners across the country,” Motz added. “We are excited to expand our collaboration with Fred and look forward to working alongside him and the management team to pursue the strategic growth opportunities ahead.”
When announcing Bergmann’s exit in mid-November, Save A Lot said he was leaving the company to spend more time with his family. Bergmann had served as Save A Lot CEO since March 2022, coming to the company from Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors, a grocery, bakery, deli, meat and seafood wholesaler based in Detroit.
Bergmann was announced as Save A Lot’s new CEO in early February 2022, nearly four months after the company had confirmed the appointment of Craig Herkert as interim chief executive upon the exit of CEO Kenneth McGrath. The appointment of Bergmann also came over year after Save A Lot unveiled plans to migrate to a wholesale business model, a transition that the company said it completed just after announcing his hiring.
Under Save A Lot’s wholesale business model, independent grocers own and operate Save A Lot supermarkets via a relicensing program and receive marketing and other support services, including private label. Company executives have said the focus on localized assortments and local ownership approach enables independent grocers under the banner to cater more closely to their communities while maintaining the benefits of a value grocery model: a heavy focus on private label (the majority of Save A Lot’s products) plus a limited assortment, low-cost operational model and easy-to-shop store layout.
Save A Lot now operates eight distribution centers—after two were shut earlier this year—and serves approximately 800 stores in 32 states.
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