Darren Caudill, who joins Wakefern Food Corp. as chief sales officer this week, brings to the cooperative more than four decades of experience working in grocery wholesale and retail.
In his new role, Caudill will lead center store, Own Brands and fresh and prepared foods departments, along with digital and innovation, marketing, merchandising and sales and analytics divisions.
“His proven track record of success in sales and marketing, combined with his extensive experience in grocery retail and wholesale, will allow us to continually innovate and elevate the in-store and online customer experiences we deliver,” said Mike Stigers, president.
Caudill comes to Wakefern as chief sales officer after spending the last decade at Cub Foods, Supervalu and UNFI, where he was a key leader and, most recently, SVP of merchandising, marketing and sales. His experience gives him broad oversight of sales, strategic planning, pricing and marketing strategy and procurement in the fresh and center store areas.
He began his career at The Kroger Co., where he advanced from store manager through roles as a category manager, merchandiser in the grocery and meat divisions, pricing strategy and loyalty marketing.
A graduate of Ohio State University, Caudill has served as a member of the board of directors for the Minnesota Grocers Association and as a member of the advisory board of directors for the Institute for Research in Marketing at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.
About Wakefern Food Corp.
From a small, local co-operative that began in 1946 with eight grocery store owners, Wakefern has grown into the largest retailer-owned co-op in the United States.
It includes 50 member families who independently own and operate hundreds of supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
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