The other side of the Albertsons pharmacy leadership story

Upon the closing of Supervalu's sale of five pharmacy banners to Albertsons LLC, long-time Supervalu vet Dan Salemi will assume the role of president of pharmacy at the new Albertsons LLC. Salemi will succeed Supervalu president pharmacy operations Chris Dimos, who will stay on board until the deal is done. 

Albertsons LLC gets a very talented pharmacy executive to run its pharmacy business, no doubt, in Dan Salemi. And with more than three decades working across Supervalu's banners, he's well-versed in the nuances of the Supervalu pharmacy business in each market. 

But there's another part of this story — one of the brightest, most talented pharmacy executives in the business is now up for grabs. 

And he's not just a pharmacy executive. In addition to headlining Supervalu's pharmacy operations, Dimos managed many of the "nonperisable" categories sold through Supervalu's doors, including health and beauty and general merchandise. And he helped bridge the pharmacy to the rest of the grocery fare through health-and-wellness initiatives. 

That gives him a slightly different perspective than many pharmacy executives. Dimos can see what many can't — that crossover between pharmacy and front-end and the role nutrition plays in all of it. 

"We see Supervalu Pharmacies as the empowerment zone in our stores where people can come in and get the information they need to make informed food and pharmacy choices," he remarked during an interview with DSN. "We really want to be a resource — to meet the customer [on their terms], and be able to help them make educated decisions that are going to make them successful [in pursuit of a] healthier lifestyle."