SpartanNash’s new chief retail officer has Kroger, Target roots

SpartanNash is calling on an executive from Kroger and Target to lead its retail operations.

Djouma Barry will serve as the new senior vice president and chief retail officer for the Byron Center, Mich.-based grocer and food supplier, the company announced Monday. Barry will replace Executive Vice President of Corporate Retail Thomas Swanson, who will step down and serve as a consultant at the end of the year.

Barry was most recently the vice president of retail operations for Cincinnati-based Kroger, but spent most of his career at Target, where he eventually became president of the Minneapolis-based retailer’s Process Operations overseeing 1,900 stores and $93 billion in sales across the U.S. Barry started at Target as a sales floor leader.

“The way Djouma has advanced from the store floor to the executive table makes him a highly inspirational leader for our 12,000+ retail associates,” said SpartanNash CEO Tony Sarsam in a press release. “Djouma will play a critical role in advancing our People First culture and enhancing the store guest experience across our growing retail footprint.”

SpartanNash has certainly been growing over the last few weeks. In mid-October the grocer acquired Fresh Encounter Inc., a 49-store supermarket chain with stores in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Two weeks later, the grocer and food supplier announced it had entered into an asset purchase agreement with Markham Enterprises, to buy Markham’s three-unit chain of convenience stores and fuel distribution operation in Michigan.

SpartanNash operates 147 stores under the banners Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets, and D&W Fresh Market in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers.