MENZER SET TO RETIRE AS WAL-MART VICE CHAIRMAN
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores here said that John Menzer, vice chairman, will retire on March 1 after 12 years with the company. Wal-Mart said Menzer's responsibilities for major support functions will move into the individual businesses, with Eduardo Castro-Wright, president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores U.S., taking responsibility for logistics and real estate; Lee Scott, CEO, taking over information systems; and Mike Duke, vice chairman, taking over global procurement. Menzer joined Wal-Mart in 1995 as chief financial officer; he was named president and CEO of Wal-Mart International in 1999, where he led the acquisition of Asda in the United Kingdom and other businesses in Mexico, Brazil, Central America and Japan. He was named vice chairman in 2005, a position in which he helped develop the company's U.S. real estate strategy of maximizing capital efficiency and slowing the opening of new stores.
BIG Y PROMOTES HOGAN, BURKE TO NEW POSTS
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The board of directors of Big Y Foods has named William P. Hogan to vice president of store operations and Edward D. Burke to director of supply chain management. Hogan, who will report to Charles L. D'Amour, president and chief operating officer, will be responsible for all facets of store operations for Big Y's 56 stores. In addition, Hogan will be responsible for workforce management, front-end operations, customer relations and loss prevention. He succeeds David L. Brunelle, who recently retired after a 40-year career with Big Y. Hogan's supermarket career spans the past 36 years; he began as a part-time service clerk at Big Y and worked his way up through the management ranks to become director of operations in 2002. As director of supply chain management, Burke will also report to D'Amour. Burke's career began at Big Y in 1973 as a night stock clerk, and he has worked in various management and director posts.
POWERS TO HEAD BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AT CO-OP
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Joseph B. Powers has been named director of business development at Associated Grocers of New England, where he will be responsible for new business development in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. He replaces John Gentile, who left to pursue other interests, the company said. With more than 15 years of experience in the wholesale and retail convenience store industry, Powers has worked for the McLane Co., Syracuse, N.Y.; the DB Cos. in Rhode Island; and in Massachusetts at Falk & White of Dracut and J. Polep in Chicopee. He most recently was responsible for Northeast retail and wholesale channel sales at prepaid-processor PaySpot, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide.
