Celebrating ShopRite/Wakefern Food Corp.

Progressive Grocer and a contingent of leading suppliers — including Anheuser-Busch, Dietz & Watson, Fontaine Santé, General Mills, Goya, Henkel, IHOP, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg's and Pilgrim's Pride — gathered on Oct. 26, 2011, on the eve of Wakefern Food Corp.'s 2011 annual meeting at the Hilton East Brunswick, New Brunswick, N.J., to host a celebratory networking reception in honor of PG's selection of ShopRite/ Wakefern Food Corp. as its 2011 Retailer of the Year.

As the merchandising and distribution arm of both ShopRite and PriceRite supermarkets, Wakefern, together with its member companies, employs more than 50,000 people, making it one of the largest employers in New Jersey. Additionally, Wakefern distributes products to other supermarkets throughout the northeastern United States and Bermuda. Wakefern's 47 member-owners individually own and operate more than 230 supermarkets under the ShopRite banner in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware, as well as 45 PriceRite stores in five states.

Wakefern's annual meeting on Oct. 27 was capped by the passing of the leadership torch from one company veteran to another, with Joseph Sheridan, most recently EVP, assuming the role of president and COO from Dean Janeway, who recently retired after 45 years of service with the Keasbey, N.J.based cooperative.