Hucker replaces McLeod as interim president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers

Anthony Hucker will become president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers on an interim basis following the resignation of Ian McLeod on Monday, according to a press release from the Jacksonville, Fla.-based conventional supermarket, the parent company of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores.

Hucker, the company’s chief operating officer, assumes his new duties on July 1 while McLeod will remain in his current role through June 30.

“As COO, Anthony has a strong familiarity with our business, our stakeholders, our challenges and opportunities, and the strategic direction of the company,” Southeastern Grocers said in a statement. “He brings extensive knowledge of the retail grocery sector, with more than 18 years of experience in leadership roles across our industry in the U.S.”

Prior to joining Southeastern Grocers as COO, Hucker was president and COO of Schnucks, president of Giant Food and head of Walmart's Strategy and Business Development division. He also spent 10 years as part of the original start-up team with Aldi UK.

The company has initiated a search for McLeod's successor.

In May, Progressive Grocer, Store Brands’ sister publication, reported that Southeastern Grocer’s impending closures of multiple stores across its seven-state footprint and its reported layoffs of store-level personnel may indicate a company on the brink of financial distress as it tries to cope with a crowded competitive landscape and its own inadequate resources, according to longtime industry observer Burt Flickinger of New York-based Strategic Resource Group.

In February, Southeastern Grocers announced a major transformation of its private brands, which will span approximately 3,000 items across all categories throughout each banner-specific store throughout 2017.