Dive Brief:
- United Natural Foods, Inc. announced Tuesday it has named David Best, former president and chief operating officer at Coborn’s Inc., as president and CEO of its retail division.
- Best, who will join UNFI on Aug. 17, is stepping into the role held by Andre Persaud, who left on July 25 after less than two years with the company.
- The top executive change comes as UNFI looks to rightsize its retail division and recover from a cyberattack that hurt its grocery distribution for several weeks in June.
Dive Insight:
UNFI said that Best will be responsible for accelerating the company’s retail business growth strategy and leading its two retail banners, Cub Foods and Shoppers Food Warehouse.
“As a Minnesota native, [Best’s] connection to the local heritage of our Cub brand and his passion for the communities we serve will be invaluable as we partner with our franchisees to drive long-term, shared growth,” UNFI CEO Sandy Douglas said in a statement.
Best served as president and COO at Coborn’s for nearly two years, overseeing the company’s strategy to accelerate growth and helping it expand into new categories. This spring, Coborn’s agreed to acquire two Kessler’s Food and Grocery stores in South Dakota.
Prior to working at the St. Cloud, Minnesota-based company, Best worked as senior vice president of omnichannel and strategic capabilities for General Mills and spent 19 years at Target, where he held merchandising, supply chain and business development leadership roles.
“David’s track record of driving retail innovation, his deep industry expertise, and his shopper-centric approach make him an ideal leader to help us write the next chapter of success for our retail business,” Douglas added.
In a statement, Best said he is joining at a “pivotal time” for UNFI.
UNFI has been working to recover from several financial setbacks, including a forecasting challenge in early 2023 and an expected sales hit of between $350 million and $400 million related to a cyberattack that happened a few weeks ago. UNFI and Key Food also recently decided to end a multi-year contract that UNFI had expected to bring in $1 billion in annual sales during the 10-year duration of the deal, which they signed in 2021.
Sales for UNFI’s retail group, which includes its two banners, increased by less than 1% year over year during the company’s third quarter. With the exception of that quarter and the fourth quarter of 2024, the company’s retail division recorded negative sales growth each quarter during Persaud’s tenure.
Best will report to Douglas and serve on UNFI’s senior leadership team. UNFI did not provide details about why Persaud left, only saying that his departure is connected to the company’s “continued work to accelerate its retail business strategy” and that he is entitled to severance benefits.
Meanwhile, Best’s departure marks the latest executive change at Coborn’s. In May, Coborn’s announced the promotion of Emily Coborn Wright to president of the company. In April, Coborn’s unveiled the hiring of former Sprouts Farmers Market executive Tanya Carlson as its next executive vice president of merchandising.
