Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. (Jacksonville, Fla.) announced that president and ceo Allen Rowland plans to retire at the end of the company's fiscal year in June, and will be replaced by coo Frank Lazaran.
The grocery store chain said Rowland will also retire as a director. Lazaran will take his spot on the board.Lazaran joined the company in 2002 as operating chief. He was previously president of Randalls Food Markets Inc., a division of Safeway Inc., in Houston.
Rowland has been with Winn-Dixie since November 1999. He will work with Lazaran for a transition period before retiring June 26.
Winn-Dixie said it was an “appropriate” time to transition to Lazaran, which had been the company's expectation since hiring him last year.
Winn-Dixie Stores operates more than 1070 stores in 12 mostly southeastern states and the Bahamas. The company also operates stores under the Thriftway, Sack & Save and City Meat Markets banners. It runs 34 gas stations and 31 liquor stores, and has manufacturing, bottling and processing operations.