De Pere, Wisconsin-based Festival Foods has promoted Adam Whitney to chief operating officer.
In the expanded role, Whitney takes operational and strategic responsibility for running the Festival Foods business, driving day-to-day execution and long-term growth across all banner functions, and assumes oversight of Hometown Grocers. He will head the Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers banner leadership team while serving on the executive leadership team for holding company, 1939 Group.
Whitney’s appointment comes less than a year after Festival Foods changed hands. 1939 Group, a holding company owned by the family that founded Schnuck Markets, closed its purchase of Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers on Oct. 20, 2025, acquiring the shares held by then-CEO Mark Skogen along with those held in trust through the associates’ employee stock ownership plan. Skogen departed with the sale, and Todd Schnuck, who is chairman and CEO of both Schnuck Markets and 1939 Group, took on the same titles at Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers. The three companies continue to operate under their existing banners, with a combined footprint of more than 160 stores across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
“As we build for the future across Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers, we needed a leader who combines deep retail experience with a clear vision for where our industry is headed,” Schnuck said. “Adam brings a proven track record, a pragmatic ‘measure twice, cut once’ approach to execution and a strong ability to leverage the new data and technology driving our growth. Most importantly, he is a true culture carrier who keeps our associates front of mind in every decision. His action-oriented leadership and dedication to our people make him the ideal leader to guide our banners forward.”
Whitney joined Festival in November 2023 as SVP of merchandising and marketing and was promoted to chief merchant in January 2026, taking on expanded responsibility for the company’s fresh department. Since joining the executive leadership team, he has helped lead a transformation of the merchandising and marketing organization, including a companywide strategic roadmap, an organizational restructuring, updates to the company’s technology stack and renewed vendor partnerships.
“I am honored to take on this expanded role and lead such an exceptional team at Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers,” Whitney said. “We have built tremendous momentum over the past few years, and I look forward to building on that foundation – delivering outstanding value, quality and service to our guests and communities across Wisconsin.”
Whitney has more than 28 years of retail leadership experience across grocery, general merchandise, convenience and online channels, with a background spanning Fortune 100 and regional retailers. Before joining Festival, he led Meijer’s fuel and convenience business across 232 stores in six states as VP of Meijer Express. Earlier at Meijer, he served as VP of pricing and merchandise presentation and as divisional merchandise manager. He spent eight years at Sears Holdings Corp. in merchandising and inventory management roles and held merchandising positions at JC Penney and Target.
Whitney serves as a board member for the Einstein Project, which supports STEM education, and as a committee and lifetime member of several conservation organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and has completed executive education programs at the MIT Sloan School of Management, the Wharton School and the Kellogg School of Management.
Founded in 1946 as Skogen’s IGA and operating as Festival Foods since 1990, the Wisconsin family-owned grocer employs more than 7,000 full- and part-time associates and operates 42 supermarkets across the state. Hometown Grocers operates nine Wisconsin stores under separate banners.