Brian Huff is scheduled to take on the position of president effective Feb. 7.
JEWEL-OSCO, a SUPERVALU INC.-owned company, has announced that Keith Nielsen, JEWEL-OSCO president, is retiring, effective at the end of the fiscal year (Feb. 28, 2011).
“I am very proud of the work we’ve accomplished at JEWEL-OSCO during my tenure as president, but I’m looking forward to retiring and spending more time with my family,” said Nielsen. “I will miss working with the many wonderful associates at JEWEL-OSCO and wish the team the very best as they continue to grow the business.”
Nielsen’s successor as president of JEWEL-OSCO will be Brian Huff, senior vice president of specialty retail, SUPERVALU. Huff is scheduled to transition into the position beginning Feb. 7. All operations and business strategies will continue as normal.
“I appreciate the years of service Keith has provided JEWEL-OSCO and wish him the best as he begins this new chapter in his life,” said Pete Van Helden, executive vice president, retail operations, SUPERVALU. “Keith has accomplished a number of key successes during his tenure. By building on these achievements, I know Brian will lead the team at JEWEL-OSCO to continued success.”
Serving as president of JEWEL-OSCO since 2007, Nielsen began his more than 40-year career with the company as a grocery store clerk. Over the years, he successfully took on a variety of roles with increasing responsibility. He has served as vice president of operations for every JEWEL-OSCO geographic division, vice president of service operations, manager of transportation services and grocery merchandising manager.
Huff joined SUPERVALU in 2003 as vice president of merchandising at Cub Foods. In 2005, he was named president of CUB FOODS, leading the division to its highest ever sales and market share. Since 2009, he has served as senior vice president of specialty retail, SUPERVALU.
Prior to joining SUPERVALU, Huff served as vice president of merchandising at Wal-Mart. Having spent his entire career in retail grocery, Huff has also held positions at Price Chopper, Bruno’s and Metro Food Markets.
JEWEL-OSCO, a SUPERVALU company, operates more than 180 stores in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.