Dive Brief:
- SpartanNash announced Monday it has hired Jason Ulichnie as vice president of OwnBrands Marketing.
- Ulichnie will oversee the end-to-end portfolio management, product development and brand equity of SpartanNash’s private brands. He will also manage product innovation, pricing and promotions, and forecasting and sourcing.
- Ulichnie brings around 20 years of retail and restaurant experience to SpartanNash as the grocery company prepares for C&S Wholesale Grocers to acquire it.
Dive Insight:
Ulichnie arrives at a time when SpartanNash is making progress on ramping up its private brands.
Ulichnie’s prior private brand experience includes top roles at Walmart, Schnuck Markets and Southeastern Grocers. He most recently served as vice president of own brands at Schnucks for six years and, before that, held the same role at Southeastern Grocers for nearly three years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He also worked for a decade at Brinker International, the casual dining restaurant company that runs Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy, according to LinkedIn.
“As we continue to take our brand-building to the next level, Jason will be an important addition to our Marketing leadership team,” SpartanNash Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Erin Storm said in a statement. “His knowledge in leading category transformation to drive profitable growth and culinary innovation will benefit our independent retail customers as well as our [retail banner] shoppers.”
SpartanNash’s private band portfolio includes Our Family, Fresh and Finest by Our Family, and Finest Reserve by Our Family. SpartanNash launched Finest Reserve in early 2024 with a selection of pastas, sauces and dressings.
The company’s private brand penetration was above 27% at the end of the fourth quarter, CFO Jason Monaco told investors in February.
SpartanNash operates nearly 200 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under its Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market banners.
Ulichnie is part of a trio of new executives at SpartanNash. On Monday, the company also announced the hiring of a new CIO and chief information security officer for its newly formed finance, IT and strategy groups.
In early June, SpartanNash confirmed that it had reorganized its corporate structure and eliminated an unspecified number of roles. Later that month, C&S announced it would acquire SpartanNash in a $1.77 billion deal that is expected to close later this year.
