SpartanNash hires Amazon’s Bennett Morgan as chief merchant

Next week, Bennett Morgan is slated to join SpartanNash as senior vice president and chief merchandising officer.

Plans call for Morgan, currently Amazon Fresh store category leader for center-store food, beverages, alcohol and nonfoods at Amazon, to start as chief merchant at SpartanNash on Jan. 24, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based grocery distributor and retailer said Tuesday. He will report to president and CEO Tony Sarsam.

Morgan fills part of the role vacated this past summer with the departure of former chief merchandising and marketing officer Lori Raya, who joined The Kroger Co. as Mid-Atlantic division president. Last week, SpartanNash promoted Amy McClellan, vice president of fresh merchandising for retail, to senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

At Amazon, Morgan (left) helped launch the e-tail giant’s fast-growing grocery business, including the opening of Amazon Fresh stores across the country, SpartanNash noted. He joined Amazon in May 2020 as Amazon Fresh category leader, overseeing produce and protein products and after having managed center-store products.

Previously, Morgan spent more than three years at Walmart, most recently serving as vice president of merchandising for Walmart China and Japan. In that role, he managed all non-buying portions of the merchandising organization, focusing primarily on cost negotiations and advanced data-led capabilities in assortment, pricing and promotions, according to SpartanNash. Prior to that, he served as vice president of cost analytics for Walmart Asia.

Related:SpartanNash names Amy McClellan as chief marketing officer

Morgan came to Walmart in March 2017 after over five-and-a-half years at H-E-B, most recently serving as senior director. His responsibilities at the Texas grocer included leading store operations, supply chain manufacturing and merchandising. He came to H-E-B after more than three years at the Boston Consulting Group, most recently as project leader, and five years at Citibank, most recently as a vice president.

“SpartanNash continues to recruit top talent as part of our ‘People First’ strategy, and we are thrilled to welcome Bennett to the team,” Sarsam said in a statement. “Bennett will play a critical role in driving innovation for our customers and excellence with our in-store experience.”

Overall, SpartanNash serves independent and chain retail grocery customers and military customers in all 50 states the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well as internationally. The company owns and operates 145 supermarkets under such banners as Family Fare, Martin’s, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery and Dan’s Supermarket in Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Related:SpartanNash names Ileana McAlary as new chief legal officer