H-E-B Names Jag Bath Chief Digital Officer

Texas grocer H-E-B has named Jag Bath its chief digital officer (CDO), a newly created role in which he’ll oversee all of the company’s digital products and services while still leading Favor Delivery, which became an H-E-B subsidiary earlier this year.

Bath, who was previously only CEO of Favor, becomes CDO as H-E-B continues to expand its omnichannel offerings across Texas, including a number of announcements, investments in technology and partnerships forged to grow digital offerings. Along with the Favor acquisition, these include the rollout and expansion of HEBtoyou Delivery and H-E-B Curbside, available at 100-plus locations and expected to reach 200 total by 2018.

Reporting to H-E-B COO Martin Otto, Bath will work to accelerate the San Antonio-based grocer’s efforts to become the Lone Star State’s “digital industry leader.”

“The investment we are making is reflective of the importance of building out new digital products and services to complement H-E-B’s world-class brick-and-mortar stores,” he said.

Added Otto: “Jag is a leading national figure in the digital space, and this appointment reflects the central importance of building out H-E-B's omnichannel service to meet customers' evolving needs and expectations. Our primary goal is to enable our customers to shop, pay for and receive their products in whatever way they choose – all while delivering an exceptional customer experience.”

Bath was an SVP at RetailMeNot before he joined Favor in 2013. H-E-B acquired Favor in February to obtain its consumer-facing technology and on-demand advanced delivery system, as well as to leverage the service’s data-driven approach to collect valuable insights to help create better customer experiences. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.