Delhaize America, the parent of Scarborough-based Hannaford Supermarkets and other grocery store chains, will cut 350 corporate positions and leave 150 empty jobs unfilled.

The primary areas where the positions will be cut include Maine and North Carolina, said Hannaford spokesman Michael Norton. The positions that will remain unfilled are spread across the country.

The company would not say how many positions will be cut in Maine.

The cuts will not affect store employees, Norton said.

Hannaford has about 1,000 corporate employees and 27,000 store employees in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York.

Delhaize America has more than 100,000 employees nationally, working for the Hannaford, Bottom Dollar Food, Food Lion, Harveys, Reid’s and Sweetbay Supermarket chains. It has more than 1,500 stores along the East Coast, including 181 Hannaford Supermarkets.

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Delhaize America has been working to cut costs and streamline operations. The company said Jan. 11 that it would cut its executive ranks by 25 percent nationally. Six executives in Scarborough lost their jobs in that restructuring plan.

Delhaize America recently shuffled its top tier of executives. Brad Wise was named president of Hannaford Supermarkets. He replaced Beth Newlands Campbell, who became president of North Carolina-based Food Lion and Harveys.

The management changes were made by Roland Smith, who was named the new CEO of Delhaize America last year. The company is part of Delhaize Group, based in Brussels.

Traditional supermarkets are being pressured by price competition on the low end from retailers like Walmart and on the high end by retailers like Whole Foods.

Last month, the parent of Hannaford’s main rival in Maine, Shaw’s, agreed to be acquired by an investor group led by Cerberus Capital Management. Shaw’s has 22 stores in Maine.

Later this year, the discount grocer Market Basket is expected to open in Biddeford.

Jessica Hall can be contacted at 791-6316 or at:

jhall@pressherald.com


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