Galen Weston is replacing Vicente Trius as Loblaw president effective immediately, in a move to shake up the company’s management structure. Weston, currently the executive chairman of Loblaw, will continue in that role while adding new responsibilities as president.
Trius is reportedly returning to Brazil for family reasons. He was a former executive at Walmart Brazil and Asia and moved to Loblaw in 2012.
“For eight years, Galen has been the executive chairman of the company. In that role, he is the architect of the company’s strategic vision. Now, adding the president role to his responsibilities, he is stepping closer to the execution of the strategy. Galen is not only deeply knowledgeable about all aspects of the business, he is surrounded by seasoned retail executives,” says Kevin Groh, vice president, corporate affairs and communications at Loblaw. “Loblaw Companies is a large and complex company. We are now a bank, a real estate business, and a retailer with presence in discount supermarket, full-service supermarket, drug store, wholesale, emerging categories and apparel options. The business has evolved and, with this announcement, so too has our executive team.”
In other Loblaw Companies news, Shoppers Drug Mart president Domenic Pilla will leave his post by the end of this year. Mike Motz, who is currently Loblaw’s executive vice-president and chief merchandising officer, will succeed him in the role.
“Domenic is leaving as he would like to continue his career by pursuing opportunities to lead a widely-held public company, and we are respectful of his decision,” says Weston in a statement.
