Shoppers Taps Industry Vet as President

The departure of Michelle “Micky Nye” from Shoppers Food & Pharmacy to head up Supervalu-owned sister banner Farm Fresh in Virginia has prompted the grocer to name industry veteran Bob Gleeson president. Since joining Shoppers in 1984, Gleeson has risen through the ranks as the company has grown in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region.

The appointment was made last Friday morning, confirmed Jeff Swanson, spokesman for Minneapolis-based Supervalu.

“Both Nye and Gleeson have been with Shoppers for many years and come into their new positions as insiders who know how Supervalu operates [its] companies,” noted industry observer Jeremy Diamond, director of Diamond Marketing Group. “They are both familiar with the Mid-Atlantic/tri-state region and how competitive it’s become. … If [Nye and Gleeson] can operate independently according to their local demographics, both chains should excel.”

Continued Diamond: “Gleeson is a seasoned veteran, having begun at the store level at Shoppers and worked his way up. He knows what it takes to be successful and the competitiveness of today’s Baltimore-Washington, D.C., marketplace.”

In July, when then-president Bob Bly left Shoppers “to pursue new career opportunities,” Nye and Gleeson were appointed interim co-presidents while the company sought a replacement.