Stater Bros. Markets Board Chairman to retire

Stater Bros. Markets announced last week that Phil Smith has retired as Chairman of the Board for Stater Bros. Holdings, Inc. Stater Bros. Chief Executive Officer Pete Van Helden has been appointed Chairman, and Sean Varner, Managing Partner of Varner & Brandt LLP, has been appointed Vice Chairman. Smith will remain on the Board of Directors.

Smith’s career at Stater Bros. spans more than three decades. He started at the company in 1987 as a controller and was promoted to Vice President-Controller in 1998. He held various finance and accounting leadership roles, ultimately serving as the company’s Executive Vice President Finance/Chief Financial Officer/Chief Accounting Officer before his retirement in 2012. Afterward, Smith stayed on as a consultant at the request of late Executive Chairman Jack H. Brown. In 2016, after Brown’s passing, Smith was asked to serve as Chairman of the Board. During Smith’s tenure, Stater Bros. saw itself grow from under 100 stores to over 170 locations throughout Southern California.

“It has been a privilege and honor to serve the Stater Bros. team and our loyal customers over the last 35 years,” said Smith. “With Pete and Sean’s leadership, the company will be in capable hands, and I look forward to seeing them take Stater Bros. to the next level.”