EXECUTIVE CHANGES 2001-01-15 (1)

SAFEWAY, PLEASANTON, CALIF., said Gregory Sparks has been named president of its Seattle division. Sparks succeeds Robert A. Diens, who is retiring after 33 years with the company. Sparks spent the last year as vice president, marketing operations, with the Seattle division.

d Fred Meyer. Burkle aided Kroger in the successful integration of the two companies, Joe Pichler, Kroger's chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Kroger also named Phyllis Norris as president of City Market, a Grand Junction, Colo.-based unit of Kroger, effective Feb. 4. Norris will succeed Tony Prinster, who will retire. Norris previously served as City Market's vice president of merchandising and sales. She will become the first head of City Market not in the Prinster family, which founded City Market in 1924.

Fleming, Dallas, said it named Joe Villarreal vice president of ethnic procurement. Villarreal, who will head Fleming's national ethnic procurement strategy, previously served as vice president of Hispanic Events Marketing Group. Prior to that he served various positions for the H.E. Butt Grocery Co.

Fleming also said last week it has named Bill Antoskiewicz vice president, category marketing and procurement in the company's centralized procurement operation. He will be responsible for procurement and category management of nonfood grocery products and will report to Phil Murphy, senior vice president of procurement. Previously, Antoskiewicz was at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, a management and information technology consulting firm.

Eckerd Co., Clearwater, Fla., has named former Randall's Food Markets executive Jeff Thompson its vice president of marketing. Thompson formerly served as director of advertising for Randall's, a Houston-based division of Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif.