ONTARIO, Calif. — Heritage Grocers Group (HGG), a leading specialty ethnic food retailer, is pleased to announce the promotions of Eric Stover to President of Heritage Grocers Group and Prabash Coswatte to Chief Operating Officer for Heritage Grocers Group, reporting to HGG CEO Doug Sanders.
“The promotions of Eric and Prabash further aligns and unifies the organizational structure of Heritage Grocers Group,” Mr. Sanders said. “They are exceptional leaders whose extensive experience and expertise will be instrumental in executing our growth strategy, as well as deepening the HGG connection to communities and serving the local customer.”
Mr. Stover recently held the position of Chief Executive Officer for Cardenas Markets. In his new role as President of HGG, he will have direct oversight of category management, supply chain, pricing, schematics, marketing, loyalty program efforts, e-commerce, and B2B/wholesale business for all Heritage Grocers Group banners. Mr. Stover is an alumnus of the University of Texas at Arlington where he studied Business Administration and Psychology. He also serves on the board of directors for the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC), the Cardenas Markets Foundation, and sits on the Food Industry Round Table for Olive Crest.
Prior to joining the Cardenas Markets business in 2020 as Chief Merchandising Officer, Mr. Stover held leadership roles in merchandising and operations for several food retailers including Wild Oats, Henry’s Farmers Market, and Sprouts Farmers Market. He also held senior roles with wholesale and distribution companies United Natural Foods (UNFI) and KeHE Distributors.
Mr. Coswatte recently served as Chief Administrative Officer for HGG. In this new position as Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Coswatte will oversee store operations, information technology, continuous improvement, data integrity, loss prevention, internal audits, construction, and facilities maintenance. He attended West Virginia University and holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He also serves on the board of directors for the Cardenas Markets Foundation.
Mr. Coswatte joined the Cardenas Markets banner as Chief Information Officer in 2019. Prior to joining Cardenas Markets, he served as Chief Information Officer for Vallarta Supermarkets, Vice President – Enterprise Program Management for 99 Cents Only Stores, Senior Project Manager for Cambridge Associates LLC, and Senior Consultant for Deloitte Consulting.
ABOUT HERITAGE GROCERS GROUP:
Heritage Grocers Group (HGG) is a leading specialty, ethnic food retailer that offers an extensive assortment of both traditional and specialty grocery items to the communities it serves. With a unique customer experience focused on freshness, authenticity and affordability, the HGG family of destination groceries incorporate freshly made ethnic foods, differentiated floor formats presenting distinct specialty categories and localized assortments that engage with each community. Headquartered in Ontario, California, Heritage Grocers Group operates in six states: California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Kansas, and Illinois, with a total of 57 stores under the Cardenas Markets banner, 28 stores under the El Rancho Supermercado banner, 21 stores under the Tony’s Fresh Market banner, and 7 stores under the Los Altos Ranch Market banner.
