Haub Shifts to Retail Advisor Role

Christian Haub, the former executive chairman and CEO of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. in Montvale, N.J., has joined BrightFarms LLC, a designer, financer, builder and operator of hydroponic greenhouse farms at supermarkets, as a senior advisor.

In his new role, Haub will help the New York-based company develop and carry out strategies for understanding and meeting the business needs of major supermarket chains, by providing better produce, at better profit levels, in a way that’s beneficial to the environment.

“U.S. supermarkets must innovate to differentiate themselves from their competitors,” noted Haub. “Rooftop greenhouses from BrightFarms are powerful tools for supermarkets to satisfy growing demands of consumers for better quality, more sustainable and locally grown food.”

“With a family history in the industry, and more than 20 years as a top executive of a large U.S. supermarket chain, [Haub’s] insights are invaluable,” said BrightFarms CEO Paul Lightfoot.

Haub, who, along with his family’s Germany-based company, the Tengelmann Group, is no longer directly involved in the U.S. supermarket industry, discusses BrightFarms rooftop greenhouses in a new informational video on the company’s website, brightfarms.com.

BrightFarms greenhouses aim to eliminate time, distance and cost from the food supply chain. There’s no cost to the supermarket retailer, according to the company, only an obligation to buy the produce.