C&S Wholesale Names COO
C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. has named Eric Winn to the newly created position of COO. In this role, Winn will lead both the commercial and supply chain organizations to create a seamless customer experience. C&S Supply Chain Officer Peter Fiore will remain on the leadership team as a strategic advisor until his retirement at the end of 2022.
“Eric and Peter have been integral to C&S’s transformation. Peter has created a best-in-class supply chain organization that is the foundation of our continued growth. Eric has strategically realigned the commercial team to holistically serve all customer needs. His leadership across both areas of our business will create a seamless customer experience,” said Bob Palmer, CEO of C&S Wholesale Grocers.
Winn brings a wealth of cross-functional knowledge to his new COO position, having held roles in procurement, operations and sales in his more than 17-year career at C&S. Most recently, he was president of commercial, in which role he was responsible for strengthening the company’s retail market presence.
C&S said in July that it was buying Wisconsin-based Piggly Wiggly Midwest. As part of the acquisition, C&S operates 11 Piggly Wiggly Midwest corporate stores and services 14 Butera Market stores in the Chicagoland region, as well as 84 Wisconsin franchisees under the Piggly Wiggly brand.
A few months later, the company entered into a definitive agreement to purchase 12 Tops Markets stores that became available due to Tops' merger with Price Chopper/Market 32. C&S is converting these 12 stores to Grand Union supermarkets.
“C&S has made tremendous progress in the evolution of our business model,” said Rick Cohen, chairman of C&S. “The recent announcements regarding our further expansion into retail with the purchase of Piggly Wiggly Midwest and the relaunch of the iconic Grand Union supermarkets demonstrate that our innovative strategies will drive our long-term success.”
C&S services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,700 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with 137,000-plus products. The Keene, N.H.-based company is No. 16 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top retailers of food and consumables in North America. Piggly Wiggly Midwest is No. 83 on The PG 100.
