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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Supermarket veteran Richard "Rick" Anicetti has been named president and chief executive officer of the Fresh Market Inc., a growing specialty grocery retailer with 176 stores in 27 states. He has also been appointed to the company’s board of directors.
Supermarket veteran Richard "Rick" Anicetti has been named president and chief executive officer of the Fresh Market Inc., a growing specialty grocery retailer with 176 stores in 27 states. He has also been appointed to the company’s board of directors.
Anicetti brings more than 30 years of experience to his new post, including eight years spent as president and chief executive officer of Delhaize America’s Food Lion chain, which operates more than 1,300 supermarkets, primarily in the southeastern United States.
"After an extensive search, we are delighted that Rick Anicetti will join us as the chief executive officer of the Fresh Market," said company founder and chairman Ray Berry. "He and I have spent time together reviewing the competitive marketplace and I am impressed with his knowledge of store operations, as well as his demonstrated vision, innovation and ability to successfully run large grocery organizations. We have every confidence Rick will lead the Fresh Market effectively and creatively and are assured of the company’s future under his direction."
Berry added that the company appreciated the strides the Fresh Market made under the leadership of vice president and chief operating officer Sean Crane, who had been serving as interim president and CEO.
"As we look to return the company to growth, we focused on identifying a performance-driven leader with the ability to create a performance-driven culture," said Rich Noll, lead independent director on the retailer’s board. "Rick will be the first CEO hired from outside the company, and we believe that he has the right combination of strategic leadership and personnel skills to lead the Fresh Market into a new phase of growth and build value for our stockholders in the coming years."
Anicetti brings exceptional food retail experience and a strong track record of strategic leadership to the Fresh Market, according to the company, which says that during his tenure at Food Lion, Anicetti led the transformation of Food Lion from a distribution company to a customer-centric organization. During that time he also served as co-CEO of Delhaize America.
After leaving Delhaize in 2010, Anicetti joined Ares Capital as a strategic advisor and served on the board of two of its portfolio companies, Smart & Final Inc. and Number Holdings Inc., the parent company of 99 Cents Only Stores LLC. Anicetti served as interim president and CEO of 99 Cents Only for part of 2013.
Anicetti began his career at Hannaford Bros. in 1980 and rose through the ranks with the Scarborough, Maine-based supermarket chain, which was acquired by Delhaize in 2000. He was named Food Lion’s president in 2001 and its CEO in 2002.
"I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead the Fresh Market," Anicetti said. "I have admired the company’s brand and unique shopping experience for many years and believe that we have tremendous opportunity to further evolve our offerings and services. I look forward to working with our leadership team and employees to realize the growth potential of the Fresh Market."
