Sedano’s Founder Manuel Herrán Dies at 83

Manuel Herrán, a Hispanic immigrant who built the Sedano’s supermarket chain into a major force in South Florida food retailing, has died at the age of 83.

The Miami Herald reported that Herrán died Oct. 15 from complications of diabetes.

Herrán was a native of Spain who immigrated to Cuba in 1951when he was 14. His family later fled Cuba as Fidel Castro led a revolution and settled in Atlanta. Herrán moved again to South Florida when his wife’s uncle, Armando Guerra, asked him to help run a 4,000-sq.-ft. store he had purchased from Rene Sedano in 1962.

Herrán and Guerra continued to operate the store under the Sedano’s name and Herrán enlisted his three brothers to help open and run new locations. The company grew slowly during the 60’s and 70’s, but a more robust pace of expansion followed in subsequent decades as the Sedano’s brand was extended throughout South Florida. In 2010, Sedano’s entered Central Florida when the company bought three stores from Albertsons.

Today, the company operates 35 stores throughout South and Central Florida and is led by Herrán’s eldest son, Agustin Herrán, who serves as CEO.. The company is ranked number 89 on the PG 100 ranking of North America’s 100 largest retailers of food and consumables with estimated annual sales of slightly more than $1 billion.