Smart & Final names new president; parent company in name change
Smart & Final has promoted a company veteran to one of its top spots.
The grocery warehouse company, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, named Scott Drew as president. He has been with the company since March 2010, serving as COO since June 2020. His appointment comes as Dave Hirz, current president and CEO is set to retire effective February 1, 2022.
In other announcements, Smart & Final’s parent company Bodega Latina, a subsidiary of Grupo Comercial Chedraui, is changing its name to Chedraui USA. Chedraui USA will consist of the organization’s U.S.-based store banners, Smart & Final, El Super and Fiesta Mart. Smart & Final was acquired by the company in a $620 million deal in May 2021.
Smart & Final operates 254 grocery warehouse and food service stores, with 56 under its namesake banner and 198 under the Smart & Final Extra! banner, throughout California, Arizona and Nevada. (It has an additional 16 stores in Northwestern Mexico operated through a joint venture.)
Based in Paramount, Calif., Smart & Final parent company Bodega Latina Corporation (now being renamed Chedraui USA) entered the grocery retail marketplace with its first “El Super” bannered store in South Gate, California in June of 1997. In 2018, it completed the acquisition of Fiesta Mart, a Texas-based supermarket chain focused on the Hispanic market.
Chedraui USA currently operates 254 Smart & Final stores, 61 El Super stores, 3 El Super Fresh stores and 59 Fiesta Mart stores across California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas.