Dennis Eck Resigns as President of Vons; CEO Successor Also Sought

Dennis Eck, who once appeared to be in line for the top post at Vons Cos., resigned as president Monday, saying he did not expect to be named chief executive of the supermarket chain in the near future.

As president and chief operating officer, Eck was in charge of daily operations at the Arcadia-based company and reported to Roger Stangeland, chairman and chief executive.

The Vons board will select a replacement for Eck and also identify an eventual successor to the 64-year-old Stangeland, who returned to his post last month after heart surgery.

Eck, 50, joined Vons as chief operating officer in 1990. He had been vice chairman of Salt Lake City-based American Stores, which operates the Lucky supermarket chain. Eck assumed the additional title of president in April, 1992, when Bill Davila retired from that post.

Davila has continued to serve as a commercial spokesman for Vons. He will assist Stangeland in his executive duties but is not expected to return to the company on a full-time basis, said Mary McAboy, company spokeswoman. Eck’s departure will have no impact on store operations, McAboy said.

“When I joined the company, I had set for myself a personal goal to become its chief executive within four years,” Eck said in a statement. “Since it is apparent that this cannot be accomplished, it is time to move on.”

Vons is expected to announce restructuring plans aimed at boosting its sagging financial performance. Sales declined 8.8% in the 24-week period ended June 20. Vons, the supermarket sales leader in Southern California, has 338 stores in the region and 14 stores in Las Vegas.