EXECUTIVE CHANGES: BIG Y PROMOTES TWO IN FRESH-FOODS AREA...LUNDS/BYERLY'S PROMOTES SCOTT RUTH...SAFEWAY NAMES MDO'S IN BAKERY; DELI/FOOD SERVICE 2004-04-05 (1)

BIG Y PROMOTES TWO IN FRESH-FOODS AREA

has named two company veterans to newly created director positions within the fresh-foods departments. Guy McFarlane was named director of meat and seafood, and Norm Vernadakis was appointed director of deli, bakery and food service. In their new positions, both are responsible for sales and marketing of their categories, as well as overseeing staff managers, buyers and merchandisers. The positions were created after the departure last autumn of Scott Ruth, the company's vice president for meat and specialty foods. McFarlane joined Big Y in 1996 as a meat/seafood merchandiser; Vernadakis joined the company in 1978 as a service clerk. Both will report to Dan Lescoe, senior vice president of merchandising.

LUNDS/BYERLY'S PROMOTES SCOTT RUTH

EDINA, Minn. -- Lund Food Holdings has promoted Scott Ruth to vice president of purchasing, a newly created position. He joined the company, which operates Lunds and Byerly's supermarkets, in 2003 as director of meat and seafood. In his new position, Ruth will manage operations and purchasing as leader of the retailer's newly formed purchasing group, which includes deli and food-service operations, produce, meat, seafood, bakery, catering/restaurants and juice bars; as well as grocery, frozen, dairy, health and beauty care, Living Wise, wine/spirits and Fields of View. He reports to Tres Lund, president and chief executive officer. Prior to joining Lund Food, Ruth was vice president of meat and specialty departments at Big Y Foods, Springfield, Mass., a position he held since 1995.

SAFEWAY NAMES MDO'S IN BAKERY; DELI/FOOD SERVICE

LANHAM, Md. -- Safeway here made executive appointments for two fresh-foods categories. Mark Pillow has been promoted to manager, division operations, bakery, Eastern division. He succeeds Mauro Bitancurt, who left the company to pursue other interests. In this new position, Pillow is responsible for the daily operations of in-store and commercial bread products, and will help implement the company's new lifestyle initiatives for both categories. Prior to this appointment, Pillow had been the MDO, deli/food service, since 2001. Before that, he worked for two Washington-area competitors. Pillow began his career at Kroger, Cincinnati, working there for 12 years in various bakery positions.

Safeway also appointed Lynn Soisson to manager, division operations, deli/food service, Eastern division, succeeding Pillow. Soisson will now be responsible for the deli and food-service operations for 142 Safeway stores and 37 Genuardi's stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Previously, Soisson was the MDO of deli/food service for Genuardi's Markets, acquired by Safeway in 2001. Before that, she worked for Zagara's, a division of Genuardi's, in various positions. Soisson began her food service career as an executive chef for a Philadelphia catering firm, and continued that track when she became catering chef at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Both Pillow and Soisson now report to Roger Herding, vice president of marketing.