"Although we took several positive steps under Frank Lazaran's leadership, it became clear to the board that we needed to make a change," says H. Jay Skelton, chairman of the Winn-Dixie board of directors. "We understand that we face significant competitive challenges, and we felt it was necessary to have someone of Peter's talent, experience and leadership skills to lead our effort… We feel he is exactly the right leader for the company at this time."

The 53-year-old Lynch most recently served for three years as president and COO of Albertson's Inc., where he was responsible for operations, merchandising and marketing for the 2,500 stores under the Albertson's, Jewel/Osco, ACME, Sav-on and Osco names, as well as logistics/distribution, real estate and capital expenditures. He also led a strategic initiative that included a 200-store asset rationalization and a $500 million expense reduction program.

"I know this job won't be easy," Lynch says of his new role. "I recognize the difficult competitive environment Winn-Dixie faces and the additional financial and operational challenges the company has to overcome to deliver the value that shareholders deserve."