Scott Schnuck, chairman and chief executive officer of privately held and family-owned Schnuck Markets Inc., announced that after nearly eight years at the helm, he is preparing to pass the baton to his brother, Todd Schnuck.

In accordance with the family’s succession plan, Todd will become president and CEO in March. Scott will remain chairman and will assist Todd in the transition through September. In addition, older brother, Craig Schnuck, will formally retire from the company and become chairman emeritus.

Todd Schnuck joined the company in 1987 as treasurer, and he served as corporate vice president and CFO before assuming the position of president and COO.

“My wife, Julie, and I and my extended family have been planning this for more than a year, and Todd has been preparing for this for several years,” Scott said in a press release. “Todd and I have worked very closely together over the years. I have the greatest confidence in his ability to lead our company to even greater success by working through our teammates to provide our customers with the best values and the highest quality goods and services.”

The transition also includes Schnucks newcomer Anthony Hucker, who will partner with Todd to lead the management team. Hucker joined the company in September 2013 as executive vice president and chief strategy officer. With the shift in March, he will rise to executive vice president and COO.

“Scott’s years as CEO could be characterized as the company’s era of innovation and reinvention,” the company stated in the release. “He made it his mission to differentiate Schnucks from others in the industry by hiring and training teammates to become food experts.”

Scott said, “Reflecting on 75 years of serving customers, each era of leadership has had an impact in shaping the company we are today. My brother Craig did an incredible job of guiding us into new and innovative formats that fueled growth and expansion. In my time, I’ve taken the company down a new path, a new direction that should ensure that no matter what challenges come, Schnucks will continue to be a strong and profitable company for our teammates and for our customers. I am looking forward to seeing what exciting turns we will take as Todd moves our company into a new era.”

Scott said that once the transition plan was outlined, the brothers searched the industry for a strong partner. “We were looking for a proven leader who was customer focused and passionate about our business; we found that in Anthony.”

“Anthony will be a great partner,” Todd added. “Together, he and I will focus on providing the quality, value, variety and services our loyal customers want and need and that will attract new customers in 2014. I am excited and humbled to be leading our family company into the future. We've come a long way over the years, but thanks to our teammates and customers, our best days are ahead.”

After more than 30 years in the industry, Hucker is well respected as one of the industry’s most successful retail merchants. Formerly president of Giant Food, based in Landover, MD, he oversaw the operation of 169 supermarkets in the Mid-Atlantic region and ensured Giant remained the market share leader in both Washington, DC, and Baltimore. Prior to joining Giant, Hucker spent seven years at Wal-Mart and 10 years at Aldi in a variety of leadership positions.

“Schnucks is a growing company with a strong legacy and visionary family leaders who, in their 75th year of serving customers, are not standing still but rather moving forward,” Hucker said. “They are reinventing their futures in the grocery world. I am excited about where we will go from here.”

Following the leadership changes in March, Scott will continue to support the transition team providing direction in the company’s 75th anniversary year and representing Schnucks and the community as chair of the 2014 United Way Campaign of Greater St. Louis.