Salisbury, N.C., August 21, 2000 Delhaize America, Inc. [NYSE:DZA,DZB] today announced management changes at its Food Lion unit. Bill McCanless, Chief Executive Officer of Food Lion LLC, has assumed the additional title of President, while Richard A. Anicetti, a 20-year food retailing veteran, was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the unit. Mr. McCanless also serves as Chief Executive Officer of Delhaize America, Inc.
Prior to this announcement, Mr. Anicetti, 42, had been Executive Vice President of Hannaford's Southeastern Division. He joined Hannaford in 1980 and, over the years, has risen steadily through their ranks. Today's appointments follow the decision by Food Lion's President and COO, Joseph C. Hall, to take early retirement from the unit and the Delhaize America, Inc. Board of Directors. Mr. Hall will be a consultant to Food Lion.
Mr. McCanless said, "Rick represents a seasoned food retailer. He will be joining a solid group of Food Lion executives. We look to him to collaborate with them and to draw upon the many best practices that have helped earn Food Lion and Hannaford their deserved reputations as two of the great brand names in the food retailing marketplace today."
Mr. Anicetti said, "I am proud to be a part of this talented and hardworking team of more than 83,000 dedicated associates who make Food Lion a strong company. The challenges and opportunities at Food Lion excite me. The prominence of Food Lion's 1,100 stores in the Southeast, combined with an existing leadership team which I've come to know as talented, experienced and optimistic about the future are precisely what is needed to build on Food Lion's successful history of every day low prices, convenience and value."
Hugh Farrington, Vice Chairman of Delhaize America and Chief Executive Officer of Hannaford said, "The integration of Hannaford and Delhaize is going very smoothly, and I am particularly pleased that the new company has tapped Rick to take on the role of COO of Food Lion. Rick has, over the years, proven himself as a very capable and talented leader, and I am confident he will add significant value to the already successful Food Lion brand."
A Native of Maine; A Resident of North Carolina.
Anicetti joins the Food Lion executive team with a unique combination of skills acquired during his 20 years with Hannaford, as well as a deep knowledge of the grocery business obtained from experience in operations, merchandising, human resources, and distribution.
He has intimate knowledge of the Southeast market place as a former competitor of Food Lion. Anicetti's leadership of Hannaford's entry into the Southeast, one of the most competitive markets in the country, was no small feat. Anicetti spearheaded Hannaford's drive to simultaneously enter 6 major markets and also the subsequent transition to self-distribution in the Southeast. He built Hannaford's Southeast division into a $653 million business well on its way to profitability.
Sincere Appreciation to Joe Hall For 25 Years of Service
Mr. McCanless added, "At the same time that we are announcing these management changes, I want to express, on behalf of the entire Food Lion management team, our sincere appreciation to Joe Hall for 25 years of outstanding service. We respect Joe's decision to take early retirement and look forward to his continued contribution as a consultant to this growing organization."
Mr. Hall said, "This is purely a personal decision. I've reached a point in my career and in my life where I believe it's a good time to explore new and equally exciting challenges. Having said that, I have been blessed with 25 great years at Food Lion and I look forward, through my consulting agreement, to remain a part of this organization for many more years to come. I have all the confidence in Food Lion and its positioning in the marketplace and fully believe that its future is very bright."
Kash n' Karry President Will Report to Farrington
Concurrent with these appointments, the company also announced that Bruce Dawson, President of Kash n' Karry, will now report to Mr. Farrington. Kash n' Karry, which serves Central and Western Florida with more than 140 supermarkets, is a full service chain of stores very similar to Hannaford's highly successful format.
Mr. Farrington said, "I am very excited by the possibilities that exist between Kash n' Karry and Hannaford Bros. We share core elements of full service, community orientation and a commitment to a strong perishable presentation. This is the kind of opportunity that we hoped for in this merger. I look forward to working with Kash n' Karry's top leadership to maximize their potential in the marketplace."
About Delhaize America.
Delhaize America, Inc. is the parent company of Food Lion, Kash n' Karry and Hannaford Bros. With more than 1,400 stores on the Eastern seaboard, the combined companies form the fifth largest grocery operator in the nation with stores from Maine to Florida.
Certain statements contained in this press release and related statements by management may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those described in Delhaize America's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Delhaize America undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by law.
Contact: Tawn Earnest (704) 633-8250, Ext. 2185