GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.– SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) announced today that Mr. Walt Lentz has joined the company as Executive Vice President and President, Food Distribution, effective May 31, 2019. Mr. Lentz has 32 years of logistics and supply chain experience in roles of increasing leadership responsibility, including serving from 2017 to 2019 as Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Supply Chain Officer of Peapod LLC, the grocery eCommerce business division of Ahold Delhaize.
As President of Food Distribution, Mr. Lentz will have full responsibility of SpartanNash’s $4 billion food distribution segment and responsibility for the total company supply chain. He will work with the SpartanNash team in developing and executing strategic plans to grow the wholesale distribution and food manufacturing businesses’ profitability. Mr. Lentz will report to SpartanNash’s President and Chief Executive Officer, David M. Staples.
“Walt’s multi-disciplined logistics and supply chain career and commanding knowledge of the grocery industry from distribution, retailing and omnichannel commerce to manufacturing and merchandising are in direct alignment with SpartanNash’s supply chain optimization and strategic growth objectives,” said Mr. Staples. “His proven track record of achieving top-line sales growth and bottom-line cost savings with emerging innovative solutions, merchandising and marketing initiatives, and improved customer and associate satisfaction are reflective of Walt’s transformational leadership skills. We believe his expertise and energy to accelerate our strategic plan will be an asset to our organization.”
Mr. Lentz’s logistics and supply chain experience includes serving from 2016 to 2019 as Peapod, LLC’s Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO). In 2017, in addition to CSCO, he was named Peapod’s Acting Chief Executive Officer for the grocery eCommerce business division of Ahold Delhaize. His accomplished career with Ahold began in 2009, serving as Senior Vice President, Supply Chain for Giant Foods, advancing to Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Logistics, Planning and Replenishment, for Ahold USA Retail. From 1997 to 2009, Mr. Lentz held several executive roles of increasing responsibility with the Kellogg Company, ranging from manufacturing operations to logistics operations and business unit sales support.
About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a Fortune 400 company whose core businesses include distributing grocery products to a diverse group of independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges; as well as premier fresh produce distribution and fresh food processing. SpartanNash serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bahrain, Djibouti and Egypt. SpartanNash currently operates 160 supermarkets, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery, Dan’s Supermarket and Family Fresh Market. Through its MDV military division, SpartanNash is a leading distributor of grocery products to U.S. military commissaries.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These include statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “outlook,” “believe,” “anticipates,” “continue,” “expects,” “guidance,” “trend,” “on track,” “encouraged” or “plan” or similar expressions. The statements in the “Outlook” section of this press release are inherently forward-looking. Forward-looking statements relating to expectations about future results or events are based upon information available to SpartanNash as of today’s date, and are not guarantees of the future performance of the Company, and actual results may vary materially from the results and expectations discussed. Additional risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company’s ability to compete in the highly competitive grocery distribution, retail grocery, and military distribution industries. Additional information concerning these and other risks is contained in SpartanNash’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K and other SEC filings. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning SpartanNash, or other matters and attributable to SpartanNash or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. SpartanNash does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date hereof.
