Former Shipt Exec Joins Spirit Hub in New Advisory Role
Spirit Hub, an online retailer of craft spirits, has hired David Toomey, a veteran of online grocery and household goods platform Shipt, to a newly established role as executive advisor.
Through April 2021, Toomey was the head of legal for Birmingham, Ala.-based Shipt. Previous to that position, he held multiple roles, including that of the general manager of alcohol. Starting at the company in 2016, his leadership across the legal landscape guided Shipt's expansion from five to 48 states and a nationwide presence.
"David's experience in driving regulatory change and strong revenue growth nationwide in last-mile alcohol delivery with a heavy focus on compliance and incorporating new technology aligns with Spirit Hub's strategic priorities," said Spirit Hub CEO Michael Weiss. "David has deep experience with consumer-facing platforms and scale. His expertise from a business and legal perspective will help us reach new customers in new markets."
Chicago-based Spirit Hub connects distilleries from around the world to new markets and introduces craft spirits to consumers, leveraging data and insights to ensure a convenient and differentiated experience. The current legal framework for alcohol sales in the United States, known as the "three-tier system," disadvantages small-batch distilleries, historically making it almost impossible to legally deliver spirits out of state. Spirit Hub claims to be the first legal state- and locally approved retailer allowed to deliver craft spirits directly to the consumer in markets previously off-limits.
"I have a passion for helping to move the antiquated three-tiered system into the digital age," said Toomey. "Spirit Hub's mission to become the national retailer of alcohol beverage products through its three-tier compliant proprietary economical framework is exactly what consumers today require and what the alcohol beverage industry needs. The company offers consumers great products and a convenient shopping experience, plus offers producers a path to gain new customers coast to coast in a legally compliant way. I'm looking forward to accelerating Spirit Hub's growth."
In his new role, Toomey will join Jennifer Carr-Smith, former CEO of Peapod, an Ahold Delhaize company, as the second executive advisor to Spirit Hub.
Before his experience at Shipt, Toomey began his career practicing corporate law and subsequently moved into the alcohol e-commerce industry, founding an online wine retail business aimed at bringing small-production wines to new consumers through a national online platform. Toomey holds a BS in political science from the University of Oregon and a Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University.
No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, Minneapolis-based Target Corp. operates more than 1,900 locations and is the parent company of Shipt. Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, is the parent company for Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. companies, including Peapod. Operating more than 2,000 stores across 23 states, Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 10 on The PG 100.
