Calif. retailer names Suzy Monford CEO
Calif. retailer names Suzy Monford CEO
California retailer Andronico’s Community Markets has named Suzy Monford as its chief executive officer. Monford takes on the role at ACM as the company looks to continue its resurgence as an innovator in the San Francisco Bay area specialty food retail.
Monford most recently held the role of Head of Innovation for Woolworth’s, one of the larger retailers in Asia Pacific, where she was recruited to lead strategic change and international joint ventures. Previously she founded Food Sport International, working with Coles Supermarkets in Australia as her primary client. Other clients include Cheers Inc., a restaurant corporation in Texas, where she worked as CEO and president. A certified health coach, Monford has served on the executive board of directors for both the San Antonio Mayor’s Fitness Council and the YMCA, and actively teaches fitness and health in her community.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue the Andronico’s legacy,” Monford said in a release. “We were born in Berkeley in 1929, and today we remain an original American market whose success has been built on dedication to quality, uniqueness, service and neighborhood. We were 'local' before it was a thing. We were focused on small producers before artisanal became a tag line to rationalize high retails.”
Monford’s plans include innovating store formats with eventual store expansion and embracing and utilizing the latest technology available in the grocery industry to drive value, convenience and to energize the shopping experience.
“We may be a small company, but we’ll be brilliant with data and digital,” Monford added. "We’re going to marry traditional brick and mortar mercantile with best of class tech in order to create a relevant shop for today.”
Monford plans to develop new products and concepts throughout the Andronico’s stores that will redefine value and serve each store’s diverse community. Among her priorities is an emphasis on speed and convenience, including bringing on new delivery App Instacart throughout the chain by mid-summer, and developing a new fitness and health-centric shopping portal for customers and teammates.
