Last updated on August 6th, 2014 at 11:15 am
SpartanNash Co. on Tuesday announced the promotion of Larry Pierce to EVP of merchandising and marketing, effective July 29. Mr. Pierce has an extensive 35-year career in the food and beverage industry, most recently serving the company as interim EVP of merchandising and marketing since August 2013 and as VP of center store merchandising since 2008.
In making the announcement, Dennis Eidson, president and CEO of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash, commented on the depth of experience Pierce brings to this role.
“Larry’s experience matches the breadth of our $7.8 billion operations. He has successfully held critical roles in both retail and wholesale distribution, which allow him to fully understand the needs of our independent retailers as well as our end consumers. His experience in merchandising, marketing and procurement positions him to deliver the right products at the right prices to our valued customers and consumers. We appreciate Larry’s efforts over the past year leading the merchandising and marketing team through merger and integration activities while he served as our interim EVP. His ability to work collaboratively across all functions of our company, combined with his wide experience, makes him the right choice for this role as we position the company for future growth.”
Pierce joined SpartanNash in 2008 from Coca-Cola Enterprises, where he served in a variety of positions, including VP of sales for the supermarket, mass and convenience channels. During his time at Coca-Cola Enterprises, Pierce led the sales team in strategy development, planning and operational execution; he also worked with customers including Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Marsh and Spartan Stores.
Pierce is a graduate of Michigan State University, where he received his bachelor of arts in food systems economics and management. He also has a law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law.
SpartanNash Co. is the largest food distributor serving military commissaries and exchanges in the U.S. in terms of revenue. The company’s core businesses include distributing food to military commissaries and exchanges and independent and corporate owned retail stores located in 44 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Azores, Bahrain and Egypt.
SpartanNash currently operates 166 supermarkets, primarily under the banners of Family Fare Supermarkets, D&W Fresh Markets, No Frills, Bag ‘n Save, Sun Mart and Econofoods.
In the feature photo at top is Larry Pierce.
