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Albertsons tabs Alice Chan for Own Brands team

Exec brings CPG sales and marketing expertise from PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay

Russell Redman

January 22, 2020

2 Min Read
Albertsons-Pharmacy store.png
Albertsons' Own Brands portfolio has been a pillar of the grocery retailer's expansion strategy.Albertsons Cos.

PepsiCo’s Alice Chan has joined Albertsons Cos. as vice president of Own Brands sales and marketing.

Albertsons said that Chan, who started at the Boise, Idaho-based grocery retailer this week, will lead development and execution of strategic go-to-market plans for its expanding roster of private brands.

Most recently, Chan served as senior director of customer account sales at PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America subsidiary, based in Plano, Texas. In that role, she oversaw more than $1.5 billion in Frito-Lay annual sales across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Albertsons noted that, before coming to the company, Chan was focused on building sales strategy for key Frito-Lay national selling initiatives.

Alice Chan-Albertsons.jpgAlice Chan is a 16-year veteran of Frito-Lay North America. (Image courtesy of Albertsons Cos.)

"Alice is an energetic and visionary leader who brings more than 16 years of proven results in the CPG industry with PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Division,” Chad Coester, senior vice president of Own Brands at Albertsons, said in a statement. “We have ambitious goals at Own Brands, and Alice’s work will be key to that growth.”

Own Brands expansion and innovation are linchpins of Albertsons’ growth strategy. The retailer lifted private-label penetration to a record high of 25.6% in the recently closed fiscal 2019 third quarter, and the company aims to boost that to 30% over time.

Related:Albertsons highlights Own Brands via Pinterest

Albertsons’ Own Brands portfolio now includes about 11,000 items and has 10 primary brands, with four — Lucerne, O Organics, Signature and Signature Café — topping $1 billion in annual sales. In fiscal 2019, more than 800 new Own Brands products were added.

Private-brand efforts by Albertsons in 2019 included the addition of the Plated meal kit brand to the Own Brands portfolio; an expansion of Own Brands frozen entrees, including plant-based items; a ramp-up of the Signature Select lineup; and the launch of eco-friendly items in the Open Nature line. More recently, on the marketing side, Albertsons teamed up with Pinterest to spotlight Own Brands products on the social media platform. Brian Messerschmitt, vice president of shopper and national marketing at Albertsons, discussed the Pinterest partnership at the National Retail Federation’s NRF Vision 2020: Retail’s Big Show conference in Manhattan, which ended last week.

Overall, Albertsons Cos. operates 2,262 food and drug stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under banners such as Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Sav-On, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw's, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos, Haggen and United Express.

Related:Albertsons eyes going public, reports say

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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