A&P Hires Retired United Airlines CFO As Administrative Executive

   DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
 

Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (GAP) has hired retired United Airlines executive Frederic "Jake" Brace to fill the new post of chief administrative officer, effective immediately.

Brace, 52 years old, will oversee the struggling grocery chain's finance and accounting, real estate and information-systems departments, reporting to President and Chief Executive Sam Martin.

Martin, who assumed the president and CEO posts last month, said Brace's appointment complements the hiring earlier this week of Martin's former colleague Paul Hertz as executive vice president of operations.

Hertz and Martin joined the company from office-supply chain OfficeMax Inc. (OMX), where Martin was chief operating officer and Hertz was responsible for the U.S. retail operations. The duo also worked together at Wild Oats, acquired in 2007 by Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFMI).

In addition, A&P this week tapped Carter Knox to fill its role of senior vice president of human resources and communications. Knox also comes from OfficeMax, where he was senior vice president of human resources.

Brace was chief financial officer of United, which is owned by UAL Corp. (UAUA), from 2002 until his retirement in 2008. He previously held financial management positions at American Airlines, owned by AMR Corp. (AMR).

A&P's shares closed up 4.7% at $2.92 and hadn't traded after hours. The stock has fallen 16% this month and 75% this year.

-By Kathy Shwiff, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2357; [e-mail]