LOS ANGELES, Dec. 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unified Grocers announced that Susan M. Klug, formerly President, Southern California Division, Albertsons (owned by Eden Prairie, MN-based SuperValu), was named Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, effective December 3, 2012. The announcement was made jointly by Al Plamann, Chief Executive Officer, and Bob Ling, President.
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Klug is assuming the responsibility for marketing activities at Unified that were held by Phil Smith, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Procurement Officer, who announced his retirement from the Company effective January 1, 2013 (but will continue to work on special projects for the Company). In her new position, Klug will be responsible for all Marketing functions at Unified, as well as the Company's Retail Support Services and Retail Technology functions. In this capacity she will work closely with all of the Company's sales teams and member retailers and will provide support for their marketing efforts and programs. Klug will report to Al Plamann.
"We are extremely pleased to add Sue Klug to Unified's management team," said Al Plamann, chief executive officer, Unified Grocers. "She has impeccable credentials, a wealth of experience in the grocery industry and understands our retailers and what they need in order to remain successful in the marketplace. Sue Klug is an outstanding addition to our team at Unified."
Klug served as President of the Southern California Division of Albertsons for five years (until 2012). Earlier, she served as Senior Vice President, Sales and Merchandising, Albertsons/SuperValu for two years.
Klug also served as Chief Development Officer at Catalina Marketing, St. Petersburg, Fla. where she focused on new business development opportunities, such as new product development, network expansion into alternative channels and creation of new business concepts to serve retailers and manufacturer clients. Additionally, she served as Group President, Retail and Vice President of the Western U.S. for Catalina. Klug also was Senior Vice President, Sales and Merchandising, at Lucky Stores and Senior Vice President, Marketing, at The Vons Companies, Inc.
An accomplished executive and skilled professional, Klug has been recognized numerous times for her accomplishments within the grocery industry and contributions to women's organizations. Among her recent recognitions were: "Top Woman in Industry," Food Industries Sales Managers Club of Southern California —2012; "Top Women in Industry," Progressive Grocer magazine — 2011; "Nation's Top Outstanding Regional Committee Member," Network of Executive Women (NEW) — 2011; and "Humanitarian Award," California Conference for Equality and Justice — 2007. Klug also served on the Board of Directors of the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC) for more than five years.
Klug earned both Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Southern California.
About Unified Grocers, Inc.
Founded in 1922, Unified Grocers is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated approximately $3.8 billion in sales during fiscal 2012, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry. For more information about Unified Grocers, visit: http://www.unifiedgrocers.com
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Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements about the future performance of Unified Grocers based on Management's assumptions and beliefs in light of information currently available to it. There are a variety of factors that could cause actual and future results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made above. These factors are outlined in the Company's Form 10-K and other interim reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Furthermore, Unified undertakes no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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