SUPERVALU Inc. announced that Gerald Storch, an experienced retail executive, has been elected as the company’s new chair of its board of directors. The appointment comes after Robert Miller, who served as chairman of SUPERVALU’s board of directors since March 2013, announced he would resign his chairman position to focus on other demands.

Greg Sandeno, president and chief executive officer of C&K Market Inc., will be leaving the company, effective Jan. 31. This announcement came one week after the company laid off about half of its corporate staff members in Brookings and Medford, OR.

Chuck Sinks, president of Sage Fruit Co. LLC, said he is pleased with apple movement this season. “All varieties are moving well through the first pick and right up to the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays,” he told The Produce News. 

“Christmas and Thanksgiving always bring a good spike in apple and pear sales, as holiday baking starts up, and retailers begin building fruit baskets with apples and pears as a main building component,” he said.

“Overall the country’s apple crop is looking good in quality and size this year,” said Wendy Brannen, director of consumer health and public relations for U.S. Apple Association in Vienna, VA. “Reports are that we’re looking at 243 million bushels, which is off only a few percentage points from the August estimate. We see this as a typical year for U.S. apple production.”

Soledad, CA-based Braga Fresh Family Farms announced the addition of RAUL GARNICA to its team on Jan. 7. Garnica will serve as vice president of harvest.

Peter Forrence, one of three cousins who owns Forrence Orchards in Peru, NY, told The Produce News in mid-December that the McIntosh, Cortland and Honeycrisp are, respectively, the three top apples that the company produces. However, the firm, which benefits from its nearly two centuries of growing experience, also produces several other varieties.