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Weis Markets hires Mike Gross to lead center store merchandising

Food retail veteran comes to Mid-Atlantic grocer from Cub Foods

Russell Redman

March 16, 2022

1 Min Read
Weis_Markets_store-Bethlehem_PA-May_2021.jpg
Weis Markets noted that Gross brings 25 years of retail grocery experience to the company.Weis Markets

Mike Gross has joined Weis Markets as vice president of center-store sales and merchandising.

Sunbury, Pa.-based Weis said Wednesday that Gross will oversee the daily category management, merchandising and pricing for the chain’s grocery, dairy, frozen, health and beauty aids, general merchandise and adult beverage departments. He reports to Bob Gleeson, senior vice president of merchandising and marketing.

Mike Gross-Weis Markets.jpg Gross (pictured left) brings 25 years of food retailing experience to Weis, the regional grocer noted. Most recently, he served as director of center store for Cub Foods, a retail unit of distributor United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI). His grocery career also includes roles in store operations, merchandising and category management at Shoppers Food & Pharmacy and Supervalu.  

With the appointment, Gross takes over the post vacated by Donna Banks-Ficcio, who served as VP of center-store sales and merchandising at Weis from July 2017 to March 2020 before joining UNFI as VP of merchandising for the central region in April 2020.

In May 2020, Weis promoted Brian Bosworth to senior director of center-store merchandising and sales to handle that department’s merchant functions. Gleeson also assumed center-store merchandising and sales as part of his responsibilities when he was elevated to his current position of senior VP of merchandising and marketing in March 2021, after joining the grocer in July 2019 as VP of fresh merchandising.

Related:Weis Markets tallies its highest sales ever in fiscal 2021

Overall, Weis Markets operates 197 supermarkets in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Virginia. The Mid-Atlantic grocery chain posted fiscal 2021 net sales of $4.22 billion, the highest in its history.

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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