Foxtrot Elevates Liz Williams to CEO
Industry pro Liz Williams is adding another title to her leadership role at Foxtrot. The convenience-oriented grocer recently promoted the president and CFO to CEO. As Williams takes on the CEO position, Foxtrot co-founder Mike LaVitola moves to his new role as chairman of the board.
Williams was hired by Foxtrot in June 2022 as its first president and CFO, heading up operations, strategy, finance and supply chain. As she helms the retail organization, she will oversee growth in both current and future markets.
Her business pedigree includes her work as CFO of Taco Bell and president of Taco Bell International and as CEO of blow-dry bar Drybar. Williams is also a board member of e-comm retailer Stitch Fix.
"Since joining our team last summer, Liz’s inspirational leadership, deep admiration for the Foxtrot brand and depth of operating expertise has taken us to new heights. We are thrilled for the opportunity to grow with Liz as our CEO as we introduce Foxtrot to more neighborhoods across the country," said LaVitola.
For her part, Williams said she is thankful for the opportunity. “I’m honored to lead Foxtrot, an incredible brand that is modernizing convenience retail and the local café, with delicious food and beverage options that delight our customers,” she remarked. “Mike has created and led a very special brand to this point, I am thrilled to continue with our mission and excited about the growth ahead.”
Williams talked with Progressive Grocer in 2022 about her plans to leverage her background to help expand Foxtrot’s offerings and presence. “I have a lot of that experience, certainly from prior roles where I have scaled brands, and I have worked in retail and restaurant businesses to operationalize and put standards, systems and processes in place,” she said at the time. “I’m excited to bring that together with the development muscle at Foxtrot and working with the team to target which markets we want to go to and thinking about how we do that.”
Based in Chicago, Foxtrot currently operates 26 stores in Chicago, Dallas, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas. The company has welcomed shoppers to three new locations so far in 2023, in the Farragut Square neighborhood of D.C., in Arlington, Va., and in Austin. In addition to its neighborhood stores, the company has staked a claim on its e-commerce technology that creates a “community of discovery” and that offers 30-minute delivery and five-minute pickup via the native Foxtrot app.
