PROVIDENCE, R.I.–United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE: UNFI) (the “Company” or “UNFI”) today announced the appointment of Andre Persaud as President and Chief Executive Officer of Retail, effective November 6, 2023. Persaud will lead the Company’s two retail banners, CUB (located primarily in Minnesota) and Shoppers Food Warehouse (located primarily in Washington D.C. and Maryland). He will serve on UNFI’s senior leadership team and report to Sandy Douglas, UNFI’s Chief Executive Officer and President.
Persaud comes to UNFI after having spent nearly 30 years in retail and the past 20 years in senior leadership roles with large food and pharmacy operations. He is a results-driven and collaborative leader with broad and diverse experience leading both publicly and private equity owned retail organizations.
“Andre is a proven leader with a demonstrated track record of success across a range of retail organizations,” said Douglas. “We are excited for Andre to join our team and look forward to the positive contributions he will bring to the Company in this leadership position.”
Persaud has served as Chief Retail Officer of Rite Aid, leading the $17 billion drugstore business in the capacity of President /Chief Operating Officer; Executive consultant at Wakefern Foods/ShopRite; Executive Vice President Retail at Shopko Stores; Senior Vice President of Store Operations at Burlington; Senior Vice President at Loblaw Companies Ltd; and held progressive leadership roles at Shoppers Drug Mart and Wal-Mart Canada. Most recently, he has served as senior advisor with Alvarez and Marsal Consumer and Retail Group, working in a C-level capacity with a respective client. Persaud also serves as a board advisor and strategic advisor to Pharmacity, one of Vietnam’s largest pharmacy chains.
During his career, Persaud has been recognized by Mass Market Retailers as one of the top fifty retail executives in North America, Business Insider magazine as a top retail power player, and by the National Diversity Council for leadership excellence. He earned both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from State University of New York at Buffalo.
About UNFI
UNFI is North America’s premier grocery wholesaler delivering the widest variety of fresh, branded, and owned brand products to more than 30,000 locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, ecommerce providers, and food service customers. UNFI also provides a broad range of value-added services and segmented marketing expertise, including proprietary technology, data, market insights, and shelf management to help customers and suppliers build their businesses and brands. As the largest full-service grocery partner in North America, UNFI is committed to building a food system that is better for all and is uniquely positioned to deliver great food, more choices, and fresh thinking to customers. To learn more about how UNFI is delivering value for its stakeholders, visit www.unfi.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding the Company’s business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and management estimates; actual results may differ materially. The risks and uncertainties which could impact these statements include those described in the Company’s filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 30, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 27, 2022 and other filings the Company makes with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and, as such, speak only as of the date made. The Company is not undertaking to update any information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. Any estimates of future results of operations are based on a number of assumptions, many of which are outside the Company’s control and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results will in fact occur. These estimates are subject to change and could differ materially from final reported results.
