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CINCINNATI — Kroger on Tuesday promoted Donna Giordano to the role of president of the Ralphs division.

Giordano, 57, has been president of the company's Quality Food Centers division, based in Seattle, since 2002. She succeeds Mike Donnelly, who was recently promoted to SVP merchandising for Kroger.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble’s Olay is making its foray into the facial depilatory segment with its new Olay Smooth Finish facial hair removal duo. This two-step system, which will be available at retail in September, includes a skin guarding balm pretreatment to prepare skin for hair removal and a water-based hair removal cream. The suggested retail price is $24.99.


According to a 2010 Olay global survey, 85% of women occasionally remove facial hair, and they are as concerned about unwanted facial hair as they are about fine lines and wrinkles.

CINCINNATI — Kroger banner Smith's has a new president.

Mark Tuffin will succeed Jim Hallsey, who is retiring from his post after 47 years of service with Smith's and Kroger, the supermarket retailer announced Tuesday. Hallsey served in his role as president of Smith's since 2001.

Tuffin, who most recently served as Kroger's VP transition, leading the company's efforts to implement significant organizational changes between all areas of the business, brings more than 30 years of experience to his new role. Tuffin joined Smith's in 1996.

CINCINNATI — Seattle-based retail pharmacy chain Bartell Drugs will use KSS Retail’s price modeling and optimization services to better understand its customers’ wants and needs and to provide value for its shoppers, KSS Retail said Monday.

CINCINNATI — Febreze officially has launched a new campaign that features real people participating in live scent experiments.

The air freshener brand's Breathe Happy campaign shows consumers' reactions to odor scenarios and the "air transformation" that Febreze provides, the company said.

CINCINNATI — Kroger at its family of stores this past weekend extended its Honoring Our Heroes campaign, an initiative designed to benefit the United Service Organizations.

Kroger's yearlong initiative is expected to raise $1 million to support the USO's mission to support our troops, their families and veterans. This past weekend, Kroger invited customers to donate spare change to the USO via in-store specially marked coin boxes. The funds raised support the programs and services the USO provides to service members and their families, Kroger said.

CINCINNATI — Kroger CEO David Dillon said the company will continue to focus on customer loyalty, after reporting last week that it saw identical-store sales increase for 30 consecutive quarters.

During its shareholders meeting on Thursday, Dillon said the company will build its future growth around its Customer 1st strategy, which emphasizes "[our] people, products, prices and the shopping experience."

CINCINNATI — Kroger announced that it has named Michael Donnelly as SVP merchandising. Donnelly has been president of the company's Ralphs division, based in Los Angeles, since August 2007.

In his new position, Donnelly will lead all merchandising and procurement for Kroger.

CINCINNATI — Kroger reported solid first-quarter results and marked 30 consecutive quarters in which identical-store sales increased, the supermarket retailer announced Thursday.

Kroger said that identical-store sales rose 4.6%, excluding fuel, to about $20.8 billion. Identical stores are defined as supermarkets open at least five quarters.

The company said its first-quarter revenue for the period ended May 21, including fuel, rose 11% to about $27.5 billion, compared with the year-ago period. Excluding fuel, total sales were 4.8% above last year.

CINCINNATI — Kroger on Monday named Reuben Shaffer the grocer’s new chief diversity officer, effective immediately.

“Diversity is a core value at Kroger,” stated David Dillon, Kroger chairman and CEO. “We take our commitment to diversity seriously, both because it is right and because it makes us better at our business. When our decision-making is inclusive and reflects the diversity of our customers, we make better decisions.”

CINCINNATI — Kroger has kicked off a two-week campaign that is expected to generate $5 million dollars in cash and food donations to assist 80 local food banks in communities where Kroger's customers and associates live and work.

Kroger said that its annual Bringing Hope to the Table campaign, which runs through June 11, will assist food banks that are members of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization. Since 2006, Kroger's family of stores has generated contributions of $25 million in food and funds through the campaign.

CINCINNATI — An Eli Lilly executive was elected to Chiquita's board of directors at the company's annual shareholders meeting.

Chiquita said that Jeffrey Simmons, who serves as Lilly SVP and president of the drug maker's animal health division, Elanco Animal Health, brings more than 20 years of management experience to his new role on the audit committee and the food innovation, safety and technology committee.