Former Safeway exec named to head Michaels chain
Brian C. Cornell, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at California-based grocer Safeway Inc. for the past three years, has been named chief executive of Irving, Texas-based crafts giant Michaels Stores Inc.
The appointment comes just eight months after the arts and crafts retailer was taken private in a $6 billion buyout by private equity firms Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group.
A key player in Safeway’s “Ingredients for Life” brand repositioning, new lifestyle store format and the introduction of private-label brands, Cornell, 48, was also key in the revitalization of the firm's Tom Thumb and Randall’s chains.
Cornell joins the $3.87 billion-a-year Michaels just as the firm has begun its first national TV, radio and print campaigns and launched a partnership with Martha Stewart to sell a line of craft paper.
Michaels operates 930 of its name-branded stores as well as 168 Aaron Brothers framing stores and 11 Recollections stores.
Previously, Cornell was president of Pepsi-Cola North America’s Foodservice Division and senior vice president of sales for Pepsi-Cola North America. Prior to that, he was regional president of PepsiCo Beverages International’s European and African business and president of Tropicana Products International in Brussels, Belgium.
Former Safeway exec named to head Michaels chain
