Save Mart Supermarket Chairman Dies In Modesto

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) - Robert Piccinini, the chairman of regional grocer Save Mart Supermarkets, has died in Modesto.

A company statement says the Piccinini family announced his death Wednesday. He was 73.

The company says Piccinini, who stepped down as chief executive officer in September, oversaw the transformation of Save Mart from a Central Valley chain into a regional competitor.

The company operates 226 Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky and FoodMaxx stores in the Central Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area and in northern Nevada. It also has distribution and transport operations.