US retailer Safeway today (20 January) announced that Tom Keller, president of the company’s Vons division, will retire in February.

Keller, who has spent 40 years in the food industry, has been president of Vons since 1999. He started his career at Safeway as a food clerk and rose through the ranks. He left Safeway in 1991 to join Purity Supermarkets in Massachusetts as president and chief operating officer, but rejoined Safeway in 1998.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

“Tom leaves an important imprint on the organisation as an energetic and innovative leader,” said Safeway chairman, president and CEO Steve Burd. “We gratefully acknowledge his considerable and varied contributions to the success of our company and wish him the best in the years ahead.”

Gary Rocheleau, currently vice president of retail merchandising execution, will lead the Vons division on an interim basis.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact