USA: A&P Names Don Sommerville to Chief Marketing Post

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P, NYSE:GAP) today announced that Don Sommerville has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, and a member of the Company's Management Executive Committee. Reporting to Christian Haub, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sommerville succeeds Cheryl Palmer, who was recently named President of the Company's Food Emporium division. Most recently, Mr. Sommerville was President of A&P's Compass Foods division, which operates the Company's Eight O'Clock Coffee business and directs all Corporate Brand development. Said Mr. Haub, "Over the past two years, Don has been instrumental in identifying and implementing the strategies that have successfully advanced our Eight O'Clock Coffee business. I am pleased that he will now lead our strategic marketing effort, working collaboratively with our operating regions, while retaining his responsibility for Eight O'Clock Coffee and Corporate Brand development." Mr. Sommerville joined the Company in 1998 as Vice President & General Manager of Compass Foods, and was named President of the division in August of 1999. Prior to joining A&P, he spent 18 years with the Lipton Company, where he advanced through a number of marketing and sales positions in both the grocery and foodservice trade channels, eventually becoming Director of Marketing. A graduate of Muhlenberg College, Mr. Sommerville holds a Masters in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Founded in 1859, A&P was one of the nation's first supermarket chains, and is today one of North America's 10 largest. The Company operates in 15 states, the District of Columbia, and Ontario, Canada under the following trade names: A&P, Waldbaum's, Food Emporium, Super Foodmart, Super Fresh, Farmer Jack, Kohl's, Sav-A-Center, Dominion, The Barn Markets, Food Basics and Ultra Food & Drug.