Allegiance Appoints New Category Managers

Allegiance Retail Services, LLC has added two new category managers to its team.

Vincent Villone (left) has joined Allegiance as category manager, Produce. Villone’s most recent positions include produce/floral supervisor for the Norkus Group, which owned seven Foodtown stores, and perishable manager for the Middletown, N.J. Stop & Shop. He is currently a member of the Eastern Produce Council.

Steve Felber (right) has been promoted to category manager I, Dairy, from his previous position as field merchandiser, Dairy/Frozen, where he supported Allegiance’s member stores and helped to maximize their regional competitiveness. Prior to Allegiance, Felber worked for Acme Markets, a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Supervalu Inc., as assistant store director and later as fresh market perishables director.

“Vinnie’s past experience in produce planning, merchandising and analysis will greatly benefit our business,” said Michael Stolarz, president and COO of Iselin, N.J.-based Allegiance. “We are proud to have him on our team. I am also happy to congratulate Steve on his well-deserved promotion. His knowledge of our industry will be extremely valuable as we continue our growth in the marketplace.”

Allegiance Retail Services supports independents for retail success by providing members with marketing, advertising, technological and operational support, as well as a full line of Foodtown private label products.