EXECUTIVE CHANGES 1994-06-20

President Appointed by Purity

Purity Supermarkets here has named Thomas C. Keller president and chief operating officer.

Keller was senior vice president and manager of the 102-store Portland, Ore., division of Safeway for the past two and a half years.

Peter J. Sodini, chairman and chief executive officer of Purity, relinquished the president position. The chief operating officer position at Purity had been held by James Springer, who has left the company.

Purity operates 58 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Keller spent 30 years with Safeway, which is based in Oakland, Calif., beginning as a courtesy clerk in its Phoenix division. In 1985 he was named vice president of marketing operations in the northern California division and in 1988 he was named senior vice president and manager of the Seattle division.

No successor to Keller has been named at Safeway's Portland division. Wilber "Burr" Schinner, senior vice president and director of corporate marketing for Safeway, is serving as the interim division manager.

Provigo Appoints VP of Buying

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- Provigo Corp. here has named Bob Johnson vice president of buying, a new position.

Johnson joined Provigo in March as senior project director, responsible for initiating changes in product merchandising and distribution. He reports to Joseph Coulombe, president and chief executive officer.

Johnson is now responsible for completing the organizational overhaul that began when Coulombe joined the company in February. Over the next two months, Johnson will attempt to develop the best structure for all operating units within Provigo Corp., Coulombe said.

Dean Allen, project director, and Art Mueller, director of alcoholic beverages, report to Johnson.

Johnson also will work with each of the company's three division heads -- Don Way, general manager of Petrini Markets; Igor Cherkas, general manager of Cost Less Foods, and Rich Heckendorf, general manager of New Deal Markets -- and their buyers to obtain the best prices, Coulombe said.

Provigo Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of Provigo, Montreal, operates four wholesale warehouses in northern California and 37 retail stores. The retail units include 17 upscale Petrini supermarkets, 13 conventional New Deal locations and seven Cost Less discount units.

Furr's Supermarkets Adds VP Position

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Kathy Komoll has been named vice president of real estate and community affairs, a new position, for Furr's Supermarkets here.

Komoll was director of real estate. She added responsibilities for public relations and community affairs earlier this year. Her position as vice president makes her the highest-ranking female executive at Furr's.

No successor will be named to the director position.

Komoll is responsible for negotiating leases and overseeing site acquisitions for all store remodel, expansion and new construction efforts. She also helps coordinate all of Furr's public relations and philanthropic efforts.

Komoll reports to Jan Friederich, chairman and chief executive officer of Furr's, which operates more than 70 stores in New Mexico and west Texas.

Lees Names New President

WESTPORT, Mass. -- Albert Lees 3rd has been named president and chief operating officer of Lees Supermarket here. He succeeds his father, Al Lees, who will continue as chairman and chief executive officer.

Lees 3d had been vice president. No successor will be named to that position. He joined the one-store operation in 1989 and represents the third generation to oversee the family-owned business, which was founded by his grandfather in 1929.

Lees Supermarket is 35,000 square feet, though the company plans to enlarge it by 6,000 to 8,000 square feet later this year to expand existing categories, including natural and organic foods.