The Fresh Market names Richard Anicetti president and CEO

The Fresh Market Inc., a Greensboro, N.C.-based specialty grocery retailer, said its board of directors named veteran food retail executive Richard (Rick) Anicetti president and CEO of the company, effective Sept. 1, 2015. He also was elected to the company’s board of directors.

Anicetti joins The Fresh Market with more than 30 years of experience across all key retail functions at Hannaford Brothers Co. and Food Lion LLC. He served for eight years as president and CEO of Food Lion, a subsidiary of Delhaize Group. In addition, he serves as a member of the board of directors at Number Holdings Inc., the parent company of 99 Cents Only Stores LLC, where he also served as interim CEO, and he is a director on the board of Smart & Final Stores Inc. In conjunction with his appointment to The Fresh Market, Anicetti will resign after a period of transition from his current board positions, The Fresh Market said.

“After an extensive search, we are delighted that Rick Anicetti will join us as the chief executive officer of The Fresh Market," said Ray Berry, founder of the company and chairman of the board. "Rick is a highly accomplished food retail executive serving in leadership roles at Hannaford and Delhaize. He and I have spent time together reviewing the competitive marketplace, and I am impressed with his knowledge of store operations, as well as his demonstrated vision, innovation and ability to successfully run large grocery organizations.

"We have every confidence Rick will lead The Fresh Market effectively and creatively and are assured of the company's future under his direction," he added." We remain grateful to Sean Crane for his efforts towards improving our operations in this time of transition.”

Anicetti said he is "honored and excited" to lead The Fresh Market.

"I have admired the company’s brand and unique shopping experience for many years and believe that we have tremendous opportunity to further evolve our offerings and services," he stated. "I look forward to working with our leadership team and employees to realize the growth potential of The Fresh Market.”