Waldmann takes CEO chair at Natural Markets Food Group

Peter Waldmann has taken over as CEO of Natural Markets Food Group (NMFG), the operator of the beleaguered — but evidently retooling — Mrs. Green’s banner, a spokesman for its owners said.

Waldmann until last month served as director of operations for Lucky’s Market, the Niwot, Colo.-based farmers’ market chain partially owned by Kroger. Prior to that, Waldmann was director of new store development for Sunflower Markets, and is also a former store director at Wild Oats Market and at Whole Foods.

Waldmann takes over a seat left vacant when Pat Brown departed NMFG amid turmoil late last year. Albertsons this week said Brown had joined the company as a merchandising group VP.

After several years of ambitious growth, which saw the brand expand as far as the Chicago and Washington, D.C., markets, Mrs. Green’s last year closed more than half of its stores and retrenched behind five core locations near its Irvington, N.Y., home office. Waldmann would appear to be in the early stages of a rebranding effort for those stores, whose website on Tuesday revealed a “parked” page for a new brand to be known as Greens Natural Foods of Westchester County.

The spokesman confirmed Mrs. Green’s was in the early stages of a rebranding process but declined to offer additional detail. Natural Markets Food Group, which also controls the eight-store Planet Organic natural foods chain in Canada, is owned by Catalst Capital, a Toronto-based private equity firm.