The Giant Company President Nicholas Bertram will leave the retailer next week

Dive Brief:

The Giant Company President Nicholas Bertram will leave the retailer on Aug. 31 to “pursue new opportunities,” according to a Wednesday announcement from Ahold Delhaize USA.
John Ruane, who currently serves as Giant’s senior vice president and chief commercial officer, will take over as interim president until the company names a successor to the president role.
In his time at The Giant Company, Bertram oversaw numerous omnichannel initiatives, including the launch of a new marketing campaign and an automated e-commerce fulfillment center.

Dive Insight:

Bertram led The Giant Company through the pandemic and had a track record of overseeing industry-leading innovation.

This included opening splashy new stores with bars and in-store restaurants, launching a branded delivery service and developing an urban specialty format, Giant Heirloom Market. Giant also refocused its marketing efforts on at-home eating under Bertram’s leadership, changed its name, and expanded its presence in the Philadelphia area with several new stores and the launch of its robotic e-commerce fulfillment center.

Bertram’s departure comes on the heels of two other recent executive departures. Matt Simon, who was formerly Giant’s chief marketing and brand experience officer, left the company in July for education firm Penn Foster, according to his LinkedIn profile, while Matthew Lutcavage, the grocer's former vice president of team experience and chief human resources officer, left in May to become Total Wine & More's chief people officer.

Giant recently announced several executive-level promotions, including naming a new vice president of finance and strategy as well as a new vice president of omnichannel operations.

Bertram started his retail career at JCPenney and spent nearly 12 years at Walmart, where he rose through the ranks to become a regional manager in Pennsylvania, according to his LinkedIn profile. He spent a year as senior vice president of retail operations for Jewel-Osco before joining Ahold Delhaize in 2013, where he served as senior vice president of merchandising.

He was named president of The Giant Company in January 2018.

“Leading The GIANT Company to be designed for the way families live now has been a great honor, and I am excited about the growing momentum of our purpose-led teammates,” Bertram said in a statement. “That, along with the strength of our leadership team, makes now the most natural time for me to step away.”

Ruane, who was recently given expanded oversight of Giant’s marketing and commercial planning, has overseen various merchandising strategies and marketing teams in his time with the retailer. He spent nearly three decades working for Pathmark before joining Ahold Delhaize in 2011 and then Giant in 2018.

The Giant Company currently operates 192 supermarkets in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and New Jersey and has more than 35,000 associates.