dispatches from the new world of work

Go Albertsons! Go Larry!

Ironically, hours before Ms F was canned from HP our pal Martha Barletta had sent me a report on companies with the highest #s of women-on-the-Board. Top honors to Albertsons, the only BigCo with over 50 percent women (6 of 11) on the Board.

Here's CEO Larry Johnston (incidentally, a GE alum) on women in top slots: "Women have insights into our customers that no man—no matter how bright, no matter how hard working—can match. That's important when 85 percent of all consumer buying decisions made in our stores are made by women." Retail analyst Burt Flickinger calls the absence of women in top slots, pre-Johnston, the company's "tragic flaw." He adds, "It was a bunch of old white guys making erroneous assumptions and erroneous conclusions about women and the multicultural consumers that make up the majority of Albertsons' customers." All this still doesn't make it a cakewalk to go toe-to-toe with Wal*Mart in groceries, but it helps!

FYI, next behind Albertsons in the U.S. is Wells Fargo @ 35.7 percent women on the Board.)

(Quotes are from the Idaho Statesman. Albertsons is HQed in Boise.)

Tom Peters posted this on 02/14/05.

Comments

Albertson's - yes, started my 1st career at Albertson's in Wenatchee, Washington - they are the best - and so is Boise, Idaho.

Posted by John at February 14, 2005 7:26 PM

Hey John, where the heck--EXACTLY--is Wenatchee? Gotta know!?

Posted by tom peters at February 15, 2005 10:16 AM

Smack in the middle of Washington. Apple country. And near Mission Ridge ski area. I find it somewhat reminiscent of.... Northern Vermont. Been through both places many times traveling to ski races years ago.

My wife has worked for Safeway for a number of years and says it's being rumored that Albertson's will close their stores here in Northern Colorado. I'm skeptical. But their stores are beginning to look a bit shabby compared to the new and newly-remodeled King Soopers and Safeway stores. And the new Whole Foods Market stores are quite an experience.

Posted by Doug Smith at February 17, 2005 1:23 AM