JACKSONVILLE, Fla.–Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:WINN) today announced the appointment of James (Jim) Smits as Group Vice President of Perishables. In this role, he will be responsible for all aspects of sales and merchandising for the grocers perishable departments and will report directly to Winn-Dixies Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer Dan Portnoy.
Prior to joining Winn-Dixie, Smits spent more than 30 years in the grocery industry at such well-known companies as Supervalu, Inc., Albertsons, Ahold, and H.E. Butt Grocery Company. Most recently, Smits served as the Group Vice President of Fresh Food Merchandising at Supervalu, Inc.
Im confident that Jims skills and leadership abilities will be a great asset to our team, said Portnoy. I look forward to working with him as we continue to build upon our fresh and local strategy.
Smits began his career at H.E. Butt Grocery Company, where he spent 23 years. While there, he rose to become both Vice President of Produce & Floral Marketing and Procurement and Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising of their North Texas region.
Source: Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.