PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway Inc. executive vice president of retail operations Bruce Everette, 61, is retiring. He will be succeeded by Kelly Griffith, 49, who has been president of merchandising.

Safeway Inc. executive vice president of retail operations Bruce Everette, 61, is retiring. He will be succeeded by Kelly Griffith, 49, who has been president of merchandising.

Everette has spent 44 years with Safeway, beginning in 1968 as a clerk in Virginia. He worked his way up the retail management ranks, holding positions in Oklahoma, Arizona, Illinois and Northern California. He was named president of the company’s Phoenix division in 1995 and three years later became president of the Northern California division. He was named executive vice president of retail operations in 2001.

"We are deeply grateful to Bruce for his significant and lasting contribution to our company’s success," said chairman and chief executive officer Steve Burd. "He is the consummate operating executive whose results and people-oriented approach to the business leave an unmistakable imprint on who we are as a company."