Hannaford parent cuts senior positions in Scarborough

The effects of a new CEO at Hannaford’s parent company, Delhaize America, are being felt in Scarborough, where the regional grocery chain has its headquarters and employs roughly 1,000 people.

First came leadership changes at the top, with former Hannaford president Beth Newlands Campbell heading south to lead Food Lion, another Delhaize subsidiary, and Brad Wise inheriting the reins at Hannaford.

Now, more corporate restructuring has led to the elimination of six senior positions in Scarborough.

In a memo obtained and published by the trade pub Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer, Roland Smith, Delhaize America’s new CEO, lays out a series or promotions, new hires and job cuts that are part of a corporate restructuring he says represents a 25 percent reduction in senior officer positions.

Michael Norton, a Hannaford spokesman, confirmed the cuts.

“There were 15 vice president positions eliminated to reduce our general and administrative costs,” Norton wrote in an email. “All are Delhaize America positions, so with responsibilities across the U.S.”

Six of those cut positions were based in Scarborough, Norton said, with the rest being based in Salisbury, N.C., where Delhaize America and Food Lion are headquartered.

Norton wouldn’t confirm names of those who are out of a job in Scarborough, but one familiar name mentioned in Smith’s memo as departing the company is Steve Culver, Delhaize America’s vice president of government relations for the Northeast region. Culver is also the former chairman of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s board.

Culver had worked for Hannaford/Delhaize for 30 years, according to his LinkedIn page.

Norton said Hannaford will continue to have “positions supporting government relations in Maine.”

Delhaize, a Belgian company, acquired Hannaford in 2000. Given the acquisition and some of the recent changes, it’s fair to ask about Hannaford’s commitment to Maine, where the company was incorporated in 1902.

Norton reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the state, noting that it’s building a new store in Turner and has a new one proposed in North Berwick. The additions will increase the number of Hannaford stores in Maine from the 46 it had in 2000 when it was acquired to 58.

“The recent changes reflect that our business will be operated as efficiently as possible,” Norton wrote. “We think that’s a positive for customers and it will drive our ongoing growth and continued innovation in all the markets we serve.”

 

 

Whit Richardson

About Whit Richardson

Whit Richardson is Business Editor at the Bangor Daily News. He blogs about Maine business, entrepreneurs and the economy.