Patricia Jackson has taken the reins as chief financial officer at regional grocer Ingles Markets.
Previously controller for Asheville, N.C.-based Ingles, Jackson started in the CFO post yesterday, succeeding Ronald Freeman, who retired last week after serving in the CFO role for almost 17 years.
Jackson (left) joined Ingles as controller in July 2010 after spending more than 18 years at Sisters of Mercy Services Corp., most recently as vice president and CFO. A licensed CPA, Jackson made valuable contributions as controller, and Ingles aims to “continue to benefit from her finance background and leadership expertise,” the company noted.
“We are proud to promote Pat Jackson as our new CFO,” Ingles Markets Chairman Robert Ingle said in a statement. “We look forward to her effective leadership and sound judgment helping us maintain our strong financial posture.”
Ingles announced in late December that Freeman planned to retire effective Feb. 16, and the company said its search for a new CFO would include both internal and external candidates.
In November, Ingles reported that net sales for the 2021 fiscal year ended Sept. 25 climbed 8.2% to $4.99 billion, atop growth of 9.7% to $4.61 billion in fiscal 2020. The company also began fiscal 2022 on a strong note as first-quarter net sales rose 16.9% to $1.39 billion, with comparable-store sales up 10% year over year.
Ingles Markets now operates 198 supermarkets in six states, including 75 in North Carolina, 65 in Georgia, 35 in South Carolina, 21 in Tennessee, and one apiece in Virginia and Alabama. The grocer also operates 111 in-store pharmacies, 107 fuel centers and a fluid dairy facility that supplies its supermarkets and unaffiliated customers.
