ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, October 4, 1996 TAG: 9610040025
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER
Heironimus, a fixture in Roanoke's retail scene for more than a century, is under new leadership.
But Bayne Sandridge, the department store chain's incoming president and general manager, said Thursday he plans no drastic changes to the way Heironimus does business. He will continue the company's tradition of focusing on service and moderate prices.
Sandridge replaces Larry Drombetta as head of Heironimus. Drombetta is leaving Roanoke to oversee U.S. operations for German shoe retailer Hess, which has stores in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area. He joined S.H. Heironimus Co. in 1985 and became president in 1993, when the chain was purchased by The Dunlap Co., a Fort Worth, Texas, company.
"It was an obvious choice," said Reg Martin, co-chairman of Dunlap's board. "Mr. Sandridge had been with the company for some time. It was a natural thing. He's a fine young man. We're very proud of him."
Sandridge, who grew up in Charlottesville, graduated from Virginia Tech and has lived in Southwest Virginia since 1981. He joined Heironimus as manager of the Towers Shopping Center store six years ago, when Heironimus was owned by Richard Lynn of Roanoke. When Lynn sold the stores to Dunlap, Sandridge moved into merchandising. For the last three years, he has been the division merchandise manager.
Questions about Heironimus' future have surfaced in recent years, especially after the chain closed its downtown Roanoke store in January and its Christiansburg location this spring. Heironimus still operates stores in Lynchburg and Roanoke.
"We are committed - very committed - to the Roanoke and Lynchburg markets," Sandridge said. "The stores we have are all very successful and very profitable."
Sandridge said he plans to continue to expand the stores' merchandise mix, without becoming a high-price boutique.
"We are still Roanoke's hometown department store."
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. Bayne Sandridge (left) willby CNBreplace Larry Drombetta as president of Heironimus. color.