Supervalu Appoints President and CEO

Supervalu has appointed Mark Gross as the company’s president and chief executive officer. Gross will succeed Sam Duncan who has previously announced he will be retiring.

“Mark is a talented, strategic and results-driven leader with a wealth of industry experience,” says Jerry Storch, Supervalu’s non-executive cairman of the company’s Board of Directors. “We are extremely pleased that Mark will be leading Supervalu and we look forward to working with him to drive the company’s performance.”

Gross joins Supervalu with 20 years of grocery and wholesale leadership experience. From 1997 to 2006, Gross worked at C&S Wholesale Grocers, including serving as Co-President of C&S’s overall operations from 2005-2006. Additionally, during his tenure with C&S, Gross served as Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, and President of its affiliated retail grocery operations.

“I am thrilled to join Supervalu,” says Gross. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to help take the company to the next level and to work with the Board and management team to set the strategic path for the future. I look forward to working with our great customers and the talented group of employees in this company, including working with Eric Claus as Supervalu continues to explore and prepare for a potential spin-off of Save-A-Lot.”

For the past decade, Gross has led Surry Investment Advisors, a firm he founded, to provide consulting services to grocery distributors and retailers with respect to strategic and operational matters. In this advisory role, he has assisted grocery clients on several multi-billion dollar acquisitions and divestitures and consulted with private equity firms with respect to investments in food retail, distribution and consumer packaged goods sectors.

Supervalu also announced that Duncan will be stepping down from the company’s 11-person Board of Directors effective with his retirement on Feb. 29, and that until that time, he will continue with the company as a special advisor to the company’s Board of Directors to facilitate a smooth transition. Gross will be appointed to the Board effective March 1, 2016. Additionally, the company said that Bruce Besanko, chief operating officer, will report to Gross and continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of the company’s Independent business and retail food segments as well as the Company’s finance organization.

“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I want to thank Sam for the tremendous job he has done these past three years,” Storch says. “He has built a terrific leadership team and together they have established a strong foundation and positioned the Company for future success. We wish Sam all the best in his retirement.”

“I am proud of all that we have accomplished these past three years and thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to lead this great company,” says Duncan. “Supervalu has tremendous employees, customers and licensees and I leave here knowing the Company is in good hands with a strong leadership team and a great foundation in place to build on.”