Albertsons Cos.’ Southern Market, formerly the Southern Division, operates 146 stores across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas under the Tom Thumb, Randalls, and Albertsons banners. The division’s unique approach to hyper-local execution and strong heritage have earned it recognition as the Southwest’s 2026 Retailer of the Year.
According to the filing, this recognition reflects the strength of the team and the consistency of their execution. Bill Neve, who led the Southern Division as president and now serves as regional president of operations for the South Region, points to the division’s ability to combine strong local relevance with disciplined performance.
The division’s banners carry deep roots in the region, with Tom Thumb and Albertsons serving Dallas-Fort Worth since 1948, and Randalls marking 60 years of serving the Austin and Houston markets. Neve said, “Our heritage is a competitive advantage. These brands are built on trust, quality, and deep community ties.”
They prioritize sourcing from local growers, producers, and makers, while also working with national and regional CPG suppliers. In Louisiana, the division recently held a vendor summit that drew almost 75 local CPG companies looking to get products on shelves. Neve said, “It’s not just CPG partners, farmers – it’s everybody that is relevant inside of this market.”
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Neve has worked across most banners within Albertsons Cos., holding leadership roles in marketing, merchandising, and operations in multiple regions.
The in-store experience reflects the same pride, with foodservice offerings, bakeries, produce departments, and floral departments showcasing fresh flowers and custom arrangements. Meat and seafood departments carry USDA Choice and Prime beef alongside organic and grass-fed options.
Neve said the division’s focus is on accelerating growth while strengthening the customer experience, including continued expansion into more markets with new stores, growth in e-commerce and omnichannel capabilities, strategic investment in remodels, and improvement of fresh and in-store offerings, and continued investment in the Own Brands portfolio.
Neve said, “You’ll see lots of growth coming from the Southern Division here for quite some time. We’re pretty proud of what we have going on here inside of the Southern Division, and we’re going to continue to grow and to get better.”
