Ahold USA’s bfresh banner (part of its Fresh Formats unit) has a new leader – company veteran Dean Wilkinson has been named bfresh lead and will oversee activities at its fledgling bfresh specialty food stores group, effective March 1, 2017.
As part of the ongoing corporate reorganization in the U.S. of parent firm Ahold Delhaize, the merchant’s Fresh Formats division now falls under the guidance of under its large Stop & Shop brand.
“Dean brings years of retail operational experience, and he will be a valuable resource as we develop new and innovative format opportunities,” said Mark McGowan, president, Stop & Shop. “We are proud of the excellent work of the Fresh Formats team as they just brought the third bfresh store to life in Somerville, MA (which opened on February 24).”
Wilkinson has been with Ahold USA for nearly 18 years and has more than 30 years of experience in the retail and wholesale grocery industry. In May 2015, Wilkinson was named senior VP of store strategy and execution for AUSA. He began his career in 1984 as a produce manager and buyer for Edwards Super Food Stores. He joined Stop & Shop in 1998 as a customer service manager and, after holding various positions of increasing responsibility, became a district manager for Stop & Shop in 2004 in New England. Wilkinson moved to the Giant/Landover division in 2006 where he held several leadership positions, including VP of sales and merchandising. He also served as director of non-perishable sales and merchandising, a position in which he was responsible for the profit and loss numbers for the dairy, frozen, grocery, natural, GM and HBC categories in all Giant stores.
Scott Miller, interim senior VP-operations at Fresh Formats, has decided to leave the company in order to pursue other opportunities.
Glenn Hogan, currently VP of regional operations for the Stop & Shop New England Division, will leave that role to join Ahold USA and replace Wilkinson in the store strategy and execution role on an interim basis.
Fresh Formats has begun its journey at a relatively slow pace beginning with its experimental 3,700 square foot Everything Fresh store, which opened in December 2014 on Walnut Street in Philadelphia (under the direction of former Ahold executive VP Bhavdeep Singh). That store served as the concept’s “laboratory.” Singh departed shortly after that debut (he is now working in India) and in September 2015, under the oversight of Miller, the revised specialty format cut the ribbon on its initial full-fledged bfresh store in Allston, MA (10,000 square feet). Two months later, an 8,600 square foot store in tony Fairfield, CT also opened. That store proved unsuccessful and closed six months later. Bfresh then expanded to Brighton, MA (only two miles from the Allston location) with a 9,700 square foot specialty unit in August 2016. Last month it opened its third store, an 11,000 square foot specialty store in Somerville, MA (only five miles from the Brighton store).
While bfresh has been slow to expand during its first 24 months of operation, it appears that new store development is accelerating. Last summer, the company announced that it will open its first bfresh bannered store in Philadelphia (Society Hill) and now additional Center City Philadelphia stores are earmarked for 2300 Bainbridge Street, Chestnut Street (University City) and North 2nd Street.
