Coborn’s taps retail veteran Keri Jones for board

Upper Midwest grocer Coborn’s had added Keri Jones, former CEO of women’s apparel retailer Christopher & Banks, to its board of directors.

St. Cloud, Minn.-based Coborn’s said Thursday said Jones, who brings decades of experience at retail chains, started on the board effective May 24.

Most recently, Jones (pictured left) served as president and CEO of $350 million specialty women’s apparel retailer Christopher & Banks from 2018 to 2021. Coborn’s noted that she executed an 18-month turnaround for the business, reversing years of declining sales, losses and a shrinking customer base with the launch of an enterprise transformation that spurred sales growth, grew the customer base and boosted profit performance.

“As our organization continues to expand, we acknowledge Keri’s comprehensive and extensive retail experience and welcome her insight to our board,” Chris Coborn, chairman and CEO of Coborn’s, said in a statement.

From 2017 to 2018, Jones was chief merchant at Dick’s Sporting Goods, where she developed several growth strategies for the $10 billion national retailer and drove key operational improvements, according to Coborn’s. That came after 27 years at Target Corp. where from 1989 to 2016 Jones held a range merchandising and operations roles, most recently as executive vice president of global supply chain, executive vice president of merchandise planning and operations, and senior vice president of health and beauty.

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As executive VP of global supply chain at Target, Jones led the mass merchant’s efforts to modernize its supply chain and played a pivotal role in accelerating the chain’s omnichannel retail strategy and increasing sales, Coborn’s noted.

She began her retail career in 1986 as a buyer at Foley's Department Store, then part of the May Department Store Co.

“Keri is an incredibly accomplished executive and brings a diverse background in retail, as well as significant strengths in implementing business best-practices that will benefit our company’s family of stores,” Coborn added.

Overall, Coborn’s operates 66 supermarkets in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan under the Coborn’s, Cash Wise Foods, Marketplace Foods, Hornbacher’s and Tadych’s Marketplace banners. The company’s retail network also includes stand-alone convenience stores, liquor stores and pharmacies, for a total of about 200 outlets. Coborn’s, too, operates its own central bakery, dry cleaning facility and grocery distribution center.