Wakefern Food Corp. has appointed Travis Riepenhoff as group VP of fresh divisions, succeeding Mark Van Buskirk, who has become group VP of center store.
In his new role, Riepenhoff will oversee Wakefern’s fresh food divisions, including foodservice, bakery, meat, seafood, produce and floral. He will lead efforts to maintain Wakefern’s standards for quality, innovation and freshness while driving growth across all fresh food categories.
“Travis’s deep industry experience and passion for fresh foods make him the ideal leader to guide our fresh divisions,” said Darren Caudill, Wakefern’s chief sales officer. “His leadership will help us continue to deliver the exceptional quality and variety our customers expect while supporting our retail members in growing these key categories.”
Riepenhoff brings more than 23 years of experience in the supermarket industry, with expertise in retail operations and merchandising across all fresh departments. He most recently served as VP of fresh merchandising at Giant Eagle, where he led high-impact merchandising programs, assortment optimization and quality initiatives.
Before joining Giant Eagle, Riepenhoff was senior director of meat and seafood at Kroger, managing a team of 120 associates across 2,742 stores. He has been recognized for his strategic vision, operational excellence and commitment to innovation. He has driven growth and built strong supplier partnerships across produce, floral, meat, seafood, deli, bakery and prepared foods.
Riepenhoff has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Shawnee State University and completed Leadership Education and Development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Meanwhile, Van Buskirk will succeed Paul Patten as Wakefern’s group VP of Center Store. Patten is retiring after a 43-year career with the cooperative.
About Wakefern Food Corp.
Founded in 1946 and based in Keasbey, New Jersey, Wakefern Food Corp. has grown from a small cooperative of eight grocery store owners into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States.
Its member families independently own and operate supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market, Di Bruno Bros. and Morton Williams banners across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
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