The Supply Side: Wal-Mart supplier community news briefs

• Management changes announced at Supervalue
Grocery giant Supervalu Inc. recently announced changes to its corporate and retail leadership teams.

Mark Van Buskirk has been named executive vice-president of merchandising and marketing. With 20 years of experience in leadership positions with Kroger, Van Buskirk will oversee merchandising and direct the company’s private brand offerings and retail pharmacy teams.

Rob Woseth was named executive vice-president and chief strategy officer. He will oversee real estate and corporate development. He spent 10 years in business development, strategy and leadership positions with Albertsons Inc.

Steve Fox has been hired as senior vice-president of food merchandising. He joins Supervalu with 41 years of retail leadership experience with Fred Meyer, a division of Kroger.

Ritchie Casteel was named CEO and president of Save-A-Lot. He has more than 40 years of experience in retail, with more than 30 years in leadership roles with Albertsons Inc.

Additionally, two banner presidents were announced. Eric Hymas replaces Marlene Gebhard as president of Shop ‘N Save, and Bill Parker has been named president of Farm Fresh.

Supervalue expects its acquisition of five retail banners from AB Acquisition LLC will close this month.

• Discount retailer Tuesday Morning names interim CEO
Michael Rouleau, the former Michaels Stores president and CEO, will handle the day-to-day operations at Tuesday Morning until a replacement is chosen for Brady Churches, who recently resigned the CEO post.

Steven Becker, Tuesday Morning's chairman of the board, noted in the release, "The board recognizes Brady's merchandising expertise and the company's recent top line momentum, and is pleased he will serve as a consultant.

“Michael Rouleau brings a strong track record of retail operational excellence and the board is confident that Tuesday Morning will benefit from his service as interim CEO."

• Dr. Pepper moves westward
Dr Pepper Snapple Group recently purchased a company that bottles its beverages for much of the West, the company said.

The soft drink maker announced the acquisition of the assets and territory of the Reno, Nev.-based Dr. Pepper/7-Up Bottling Company of the West. This deal includes the territory and ownership of distribution centers in Reno adnd Chico, Calif., and Boise, Idaho.

"Since 2006, Dr Pepper Snapple has acquired a number of bottling businesses to strengthen our route to market in the United States and support efforts to build and enhance our leading brands," DPS president for packaged beverages Rodger Collins said.

"As with previous acquisitions, bringing Dr Pepper/7Up-West into DPS enables us to leverage the power of our integrated business model to drive excellence, improve customer service and get our brands into consumers' hands with greater efficiency."

• Sports apparel Quicksilver announces global leadership team
Quiksilver has announced the appointments of Tom Hartge as global head of footwear and Kasey Mazzone as global head of supply chain.

The additions to the team are part of a larger senior management reorganization, which includes Pierre Agnes, president of Quiksilver Europe, assuming the additional role as global head of apparel, and the company recruiting for a chief marketing officer position.

“We are centralizing key functions and responsibilities across Quiksilver, Roxy and DC in order to strengthen our brands, grow sales and drive operational efficiencies,” said Andy Mooney, president and CEO of Quiksilver Inc. “Both Tom and Kasey bring world class expertise to their respective roles, as well as extensive experience with global brands.”