2018 West Retailer of the Year

Albertsons Cos. may not be the obvious choice for our 2018 West Retailer of the Year honor, as the Boise, Idaho-based grocer has been going through the painstaking integration process with Safeway for the past three and a half years, which has been “a distraction,” according to Chairman Robert G. “Bob” Miller.

But that process was completed in September 2018, the same month that President and COO Jim Donald became president and CEO, succeeding Miller in the CEO role. Donald said the completion of the integration “will allow our operators to relentlessly focus on running great stores.”

As of September, those stores totaled 2,291 in 35 states and the District of Columbia under 20 banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, JewelOsco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. It also owns meal kit company Plated.

Miller tells The Shelby Report that the company is healthy, and it’s going to continue to grow.

“We have generations that have shopped with these brands. We want to continue to invest in them, make them better and take care of customers— and we have the opportunity to do that.

“I couldn’t be more excited about what’s going to happen going forward,” adds Miller, who has overseen the company’s growth since 2006, from a low of about 200 stores to today’s nearly 2,300.

His fellow Albertsons executives believe that Miller has a lot to do with the company’s success today as well as its trajectory. See what they have to say about his simple but effective management style and why we have added him to our Food Industry Hall of Fame.