EXECUTIVE CHANGES: BOYER TO STEP DOWN AS CO-CEO OF MEIJER...SPROUTS NAMES NEW COO, VP IN REORGANIZATION...MICHIGAN UNION LOCAL NAMES NEW PRESIDENT

Boyer to Step Down as Co-CEO of Meijer

st week Paul Boyer will step down as co-chief executive officer of the company by year's end, though he will remain as vice chairman of the executive board. Hank Meijer, with whom he has shared the title of co-CEO since last year, will remain as sole CEO, the company said. Boyer, 66, joined Meijer in 1970 and ran the chain's membership warehouse operation, called SourceClub, during the 1990s - a venture that ultimately did not succeed. He was named executive vice president in 2001 and, later that year, was named president and chief operating officer. When co-CEO Doug Meijer stepped down last year, Boyer succeeded him. For the last few weeks Boyer has been working with Mark Murray to help smooth his transition as president of the 176-store chain.

Sprouts Names New COO, VP in Reorganization

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Sprouts Farmers Market here has reorganized at the executive level and redefined some positions due to rapid growth and expansion plans, according to a company spokeswoman. Doug Sanders, formerly vice president of information technology and chief administrative officer, has been named chief operating officer of the 17-store chain. He oversees operations, including retail stores, the produce warehouse, new-store development, IT, and sales and marketing. Also, Tom Foulds, formerly vice president of buying, has been appointed vice president of sales and marketing. He oversees the strategic marketing initiatives, buying and vendor partnerships, and the art department. Due to the reorganization, neither have a successor or predecessor.

Michigan Union Local Names New President

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. - Roger Robinson has been elected president of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 876 here, the union said. Robinson, the local's current secretary-treasurer and acting leader, was elected for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1. He succeeds Victoria Collins, who resigned earlier this month to take a position with the UFCW international union. In a statement, Robinson was critical of Collins, saying "the union was heading in the wrong direction." Under Collins last year, Local 876 accepted a controversial 10% pay cut at A&P's Farmer Jack chain, which the union said saved 6,000 jobs and 60 stores that would otherwise have closed. Local 876 has upcoming negotiations with Kroger.

GMA's Molpus Joins SPAR Group's Board

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. - C. Manly Molpus, president, chief executive officer and a director of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Washington, has joined the board of directors of SPAR Group here, an international marketing services company. Molpus is also a member of the company's audit, compensation and governance committees. He currently sits on the board of directors of the Congressional Hunger Center and is a member of the U.S. Department of State Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy. Molpus has held a 16-year career with GMA, and has announced that he will retire from the association at the end of this year.