Stop & Shop Names Chief Merchant
Lee Nicholson, currently SVP of procurement at ADUSA Procurement, will become EVP, chief merchant at Ahold Delhaize USA brand Stop & Shop, effective at the start of the new year. In his latest role, Nicholson will be responsible for merchandising strategy, category management, promotional planning, and execution and pricing at Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop.
“I’m excited about Lee returning to Stop & Shop and the experience he will bring as we continue to evolve our customer experience,” noted Stop & Shop President Roger Wheeler. “Lee will carry forward the next phases of the large, multi-year price investments Stop & Shop is making, which is a key part of our commitment to strengthen our customer value proposition. Lee is an excellent leader who has the ability to build strong teams focused on the customer, and I look forward to aligning our merchandising strategies to support our work to reposition Stop & Shop.”
Nicholson has more than three decades of industry experience under his belt, including 20-plus years with Ahold Delhaize USA and its companies. As SVP of ADUSA Procurement since 2021, he oversaw such functions as forecasting, replenishment, procurement governance and procurement services. Nicholson’s retail career also includes stints at Walmart, Supervalu and Winn-Dixie. He joined the companies of Ahold Delhaize USA in 2004 (ahead of the merger of Ahold and Delhaize in in 2016), working first as a grocery buyer and then category manager at Stop & Shop. He later graduated to leadership roles in merchandising, supply chain and procurement. Nicholson holds an undergraduate degree in business from Babson College and an MBA from Jacksonville University.
[RELATED: Stop & Shop’s 3-Point Plan Makes Groceries More Affordable in Rhode Island]
“I am looking forward to returning to Stop & Shop, which is where I started with this organization,” said Nicholson. “It’s a brand I know well and look forward to caring for in my new role. It’s an exciting opportunity to leverage my experience, including the more than 20 years I’ve spent with Ahold Delhaize USA and its companies, to help drive forward Stop & Shop’s repositioning for future growth.”
This past June, industry vet Tonya Herring returned to Ahold Delhaize USA’s Giant Food banner, this time as chief merchant for the Washington, D.C.-area retailer. Her previous position was SVP of omnichannel development for Peapod Digital Labs, another Ahold Delhaize USA division.
Employing 50,000 associates, Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC is an Ahold Delhaize USA company that operates 350-plus stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, is No. 11 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. The company’s brands are Food Lion, The Giant Co., Giant Food, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century and among its 2024 10 Most Sustainable Grocers.
