ONTARIO, Calif. — Heritage Grocers Group (“Heritage” or “HGG”), a leading specialty grocer focused on serving the Hispanic community, is pleased to announce that Suzy Monford has assumed the role of CEO.
Monford is a seasoned industry executive, bringing more than 25 years of experience and a proven track record of transformational leadership and innovation at industry-leading food retailers. She currently serves as CEO of Food Sport International, a global consultancy that advises retailers on financial and impact value creation.
“I look forward to helping Heritage build on its strong foundation and am honored to lead the company into its next chapter of growth,” said Ms. Monford. “Heritage’s differentiated value proposition and operational excellence will enable the business to capitalize on macroeconomic tailwinds and grow at scale over the years to come. I am excited to lead Heritage and its brands, and to serve our customers, Team Members, and communities, while honoring the uniqueness of each of our banners across the country.”
Prior to her role at Food Sport International, Monford was the CEO of PCC Community Markets, where she grew membership to over 100,000 for the first time in co-op history. Before that, she served as a president and group vice president at Kroger and as CEO of Andronico’s Community Markets, earning Top Woman in Grocery honors twice in four years. Across her career, she has spearheaded innovative growth initiatives that improved sales and profitability by bolstering merchandising, marketing, operations and digital capabilities.
Apollo Partners and Heritage Board members Andy Jhawar and Joanna Reiss said, “We are thrilled to welcome Suzy as Heritage’s Chairman and CEO, and are confident that her unparalleled industry experience and track record of driving transformational growth will allow her to lead the company into its next phase of growth. Heritage is well-positioned in the Hispanic and ethnic grocery industry, serving as a one-stop-shop for the fastest growing demographics in the United States. Under Suzy’s leadership, we expect the company to further its mission to bring fresh and affordable groceries to the communities it serves while growing and enhancing its operations.”
About Heritage Grocers Group
Heritage Grocers Group is a leading specialty ethnic food retailer that offers an extensive assortment of both authentic 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 58 stores under the Cardenas Markets banner, 29 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. For more information visit https://www.heritagegrocersgroup.com/.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements discussed in this release as well as in other reports, materials and oral statements that the Company releases from time to time to the public constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “PSLRA”). Generally, words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “could,” “intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “target,” “forecast” and similar expressions or the negative thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations, strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated economic performance and financial condition and other similar matters. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected by the management of the Company. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual events or results may differ significantly from these statements. Actual events or results are subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. It should be understood that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Given these risks, investors and analysts should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are made. The Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to provide any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. These statements constitute the Company’s cautionary statements under the PSLRA.
