Last updated on January 10th, 2014 at 11:06 am
Scott Schnuck, 63, chairman and CEO of Schnuck Markets, will pass the baton to his brother Todd Schnuck, 55, in March. Todd will become president and CEO.
Scott Schnuck has been CEO of the family-owned and privately-held company for eight years.
The move is part of the family’s succession plan, the company said. Scott, who will remain chairman, will assist Todd in the transition through September. Their brother Craig Schnuck, 65, will formally retire from the company and become chairman emeritus.
Todd joined St. Louis-based Schnucks in 1987 as treasurer. He also served as corporate VP and CFO before assuming the position of president and COO.
“My wife, Julie, and I and my extended family have been planning this for more than a year and Todd has been preparing for this for several years,” Scott Schnuck said. “Todd and I have worked very closely together over the years. I have the greatest confidence in his ability to lead our company to even greater success by working through our teammates to provide our customers with the best values and the highest quality goods and services.”
The transition also includes Schnucks newcomer Anthony Hucker, who will partner with Todd to lead the management team. Hucker joined the company in September 2013 as EVP and chief strategy officer and with the shift in March will rise to EVP and COO.
Scott Schnuck’s tenure brought a new direction for company
As CEO, Scott Schnuck made it his mission to differentiate Schnucks from others in the industry by hiring and training teammates to become food experts. Today, Schnucks has 19 professional chefs, 43 Schnucks Cooks coaches, one certified cheese specialist, one dietitian, 36 certified specialists of wine (CSW), two Cicerones (beer certification), two AIFD certified florists and 86 FTD certified designers.
In 2009, Schnucks created two very different store prototypes. The first was Culinaria, a 21,000-s.f. urban format in downtown St. Louis. It is one-third the size of a typical Schnucks store. The second is Schnucks in Des Peres, Mo. It is a 74,000-s.f. store with an in-store restaurant. It is designed to appeal equally to the professional chef who cooks for hundreds and the home chef who cooks for family.
“Reflecting on 75 years of serving customers, each era of leadership has had an impact in shaping the company we are today,” Scott Schnuck said. “My brother Craig did an incredible job of guiding us into new and innovative formats that fueled growth and expansion. In my time, I’ve taken the company down a new path, a new direction that should ensure that no matter what challenges come, Schnucks will continue to be a strong and profitable company for our teammates and for our customers. I am looking forward to seeing what exciting turns we will take as Todd moves our company into a new era.”
Hucker is a 30-year industry veteran
Scott Schnuck said that once the transition plan was outlined, the brothers searched the industry for a strong partner and found that person in Hucker. Todd Schnuck agrees.
“Anthony will be a great partner. Together, he and I will focus on providing the quality, value, variety and services our loyal customers want and need and that will attract new customers in 2014,” Todd Schnuck said. “I am excited and humbled to be leading our family company into the future. We’ve come a long way over the years, but thanks to our teammates and customers, our best days are ahead.”
Hucker has more than 30 years in the industry and formerly was president of Giant Food, based in Landover, Md. There he oversaw the operation of 169 supermarkets in the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to joining Giant, Hucker spent seven years at Walmart and 10 years at Aldi in a variety of leadership positions.
“Schnucks is a growing company with a strong legacy and visionary family leaders who, in their 75th year of serving customers, are not standing still but rather moving forward,” Hucker said. “They are reinventing their futures in the grocery world. I am excited about where we will go from here.”
Following the leadership changes in March, Scott Schnuck will continue to support the transition team providing direction in the company’s 75th anniversary year and representing Schnucks and the community as chair of the 2014 United Way Campaign of Greater St. Louis.
This is not the company’s first intergenerational transfer. In 1967 Edward Schnuck transitioned to brother, Donald. The third generation, which includes Don’s six children (Craig, Scott, Todd, Terry, Mark and Nancy) and Ed’s daughter, Stephanie, has maintained the tradition. In 2006, Don’s eldest son, Craig, transitioned the office to Scott after 17 years as CEO.
Founded in 1939, Schnuck Markets operates 100 stores and 95 in-store pharmacies in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa.
In the photo at top is Todd Schnuck.
Schnuck Market is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. A special section commemorating the occasion appears in the January print edition of The Shelby Report of the Midwest.
