Wakefern Food Corp. has appointed a new chief sales officer to its leadership team.
Darren Caudill joins the retailer-owned cooperative with over four decades of experience working in both grocery wholesale and retail, according to a news release. As chief sales officer, Caudill will head up center store, own brands, fresh and prepared foods departments, along with digital and innovation, marketing, merchandising and sales and analytics divisions, Wakefern said.
“We’re excited to welcome Darren to Wakefern. His proven track record of success in sales and marketing, combined with his extensive experience in grocery retail and wholesale, will allow us to continually innovate and elevate the in-store and online customer experiences we deliver,” Wakefern President Mike Stigers said in the release.
Caudill comes to Wakefern after spending the last decade at Cub Foods, Supervalu and UNFI, where he was a key leader and, most recently, senior vice president of merchandising, marketing and sales, according to the release. Wakefern said his experience gives him broad oversight of sales, strategic planning, pricing and marketing strategy, and procurement in both the fresh and center store areas.
He began his career at The Kroger Co. where his experience led him from a store manager’s position through roles as a category manager, merchandiser in the grocery and meat divisions, pricing strategy, and loyalty marketing, the release said.
A graduate of Ohio State University, Caudill has served on boards of directors for Minnesota Grocers and Kemba Columbus Credit Union and on the advisory board of directors for the Institute for Research in Marketing at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.
Wakefern Food Corp. is a retailer-owned cooperative with member companies that own and operate supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners.