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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2018 www.gourmetnews.com RETAILER NEWS 1 0 Salad Chain Moves into Specialty Grocery Sweetgreen, the fast-casual salad restaurant chain started by three Georgetown Univer- sity students more than 10 years ago, has made a return to its very first location in Washington D.C. with the opening of The Tavern, a gro- cery with an emphasis on all things healthy and local. The new market, which is the first-of- its-kind from Sweetgreen, aims to transform the way consumers experience the brand by bring- ing people one step closer to the locally- sourced ingredients they usually only see mixed up in their salad bowls, plus so much more. The Tavern features high- quality groceries and goods from more than 30 local makers and farmers, includ- ing Sfoglini, Sipp City, Sir Kensingtons, Soom, South Block, South Mountain Creamery and The Common Market, and while not all products are hyper-local to the D.C.-area (i.e. Sir Kensingtons condi- ments is from New York), everything stocked on the shelves was carefully cho- sen to celebrate purveyors who are mak- ing great products, quality products. But perhaps the most talked about as- pect of The Tavern is the return of Sweet- flow – Sweetgreen's beloved frozen yogurt that disappeared off menus in 2014 is back with an upgrade as the company partnered with local purveyor Dolcezza Gelato to make the frozen treat even more delicious. Aligning with the brand's core values of transparency and responsible supply chain, Sweetgreen sources from partners and growers the grocers know and trust, letting their yield and the seasons dictate what's sold. Labels next to products boast where the goods come from, and which farms produce are sourced from. GN Epicurean Trader Continued from PAGE 1 The Cow Hollow neighborhood is walka- ble from the waterfront, and its population is a mix of young people just starting their careers, those with young children and older San Franciscans, and because it's close to both the water and a couple of nearby parks, Epicurean Trader sees quite a few tourists as well as customers who live in the neighbor- hood. "We have a lot of picnickers coming in on the weekend," Young said. "And we have people who come in on the weekend to get a baguette and a wedge of cheese and a bottle of wine and call that dinner. We've definitely seen success in that area." Local products are a particular draw, es- pecially for customers who come into the store looking for a gift, Young said. "We have a good selection of items that you might not buy for yourself but make good gifts," she said. "Usually those people want things made in San Francisco." GN Albertsons Companies Appoints Jim Donald President and Chief Executive Officer Albertsons Companies has appointed Jim Donald, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Albertsons Companies, effective im- mediately. He has been the company's president and chief operating offi- cer. Robert Miller will continue as the Chair- man of the Board, step- ping aside from his previous position as chief executive officer. Miller and Donald are two of grocery re- tail's preeminent leaders. Miller's 57-year retail career began as a high school job in southern California in the backroom of a neighborhood supermarket. He took on roles of increasing responsibility, culminat- ing in his serving as executive vice presi- dent of operations for Albertsons, Inc. Miller left Albertsons in 1991 and went on to serve as chief executive officer of Fred Meyer, Inc.; chief operating officer and vice chairman of Kroger; and chief execu- tive officer of Rite Aid. In 2006, Miller re- turned to lead Albertsons LLC as CEO following the divestiture of Albertson's, Inc.'s assets. Donald's 47-year retail career began as a trainee in Florida with Publix Super- markets. He joined Albertsons in 1976, which culminated in his being appointed vice president of operations in Arizona. In 1991, he was recruited personally by Sam Walton to join Walmart to lead the devel- opment of their grocery business and su- perstore concept. Donald subsequently left for Safeway in 1994 to be the senior vice president of its 130-store eastern re- gion, a position he held for two years. His first CEO role was at Pathmark Stores from 1996 through 2002, followed by his most well-known appointment as presi- dent and CEO at Starbucks, where he no- tably led the company through record growth, including five straight years of 20 percent + annual earnings increases. Post Starbucks, Donald served as chief execu- tive officer of two other companies, Haggen and Extended Stay America, Inc. Named one of the "Top 25 CEOs in the World" by The Best Practice Institute and one of Business Travel News' "25 Most In- fluential Business Travel Executives" in 2013 for his leadership of Extended Stay America where he led its successful $565 million IPO, Donald joined Albertsons Companies in March 2018 as president and chief operating officer. "Jim is an exceptional retailer. In the seven months since he joined Albertsons Companies, he's flown tens of thousands of miles and met personally with thousands of employees in hundreds of our stores, dis- tribution centers, manufacturing plants, and offices around the country," Miller said. "His expertise in listening to front line employees and customers, facilitating em- ployee engagement and generating sales is unmatched, and there is no better leader for Albertsons Companies at this state in our evolution." "Albertsons Companies is uniquely po- sitioned to operate in both a 'four walls' traditional environment and the 'no walls' world of technology," Donald said. "We serve 34 million customers each week across our 2,300-plus stores and serve 5.5 million patients in our 1,700- plus pharmacies. That's a significant food, health and wellness footprint. We're well positioned to serve the evolv- ing needs of today's customer, wherever and whenever they choose to shop with us. I am looking forward to leading this dynamic company as we focus on inno- vation and customer-centric retailing in all its forms." GN

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