SpartanNash Hires Executive From Kroger’s Retail Ops Team
Food solutions company SpartanNash has hired Djouma Barry as SVP and chief retail officer. Barry will succeed EVP, Corporate Retail Thomas Swanson, who plans to transition to a consulting arrangement at the end of year. In his new role, Barry will oversee retail strategy and operations across SpartanNash’s growing retail footprint.
Barry was most recently VP of retail operations at The Kroger Co., but he spent most of his career at Target, where he progressively worked his way up from a store’s sales floor leader to an HR team leader, a store director, a district senior director, a group VP, a senior group VP, and ultimately VP, process operations overseeing 1,900 stores and $93 billion in sales across the United States. Barry was also previously VP, head of strategy and operations at Old Navy and VP, retail operations and planning at Lululemon.
“The way Djouma has advanced from the store floor to the executive table makes him a highly inspirational leader for our 12,000-plus retail associates,” said SpartanNash CEO Tony Sarsam. “Djouma will play a critical role in advancing our People First culture and enhancing the store guest experience across our growing retail footprint.”
Barry has been a member of the Executive Leadership Council, an organization committed to increasing the number of global Black executives, for nearly seven years. He graduated from Texas State University. Barry will relocate with his family from Atlanta to Grand Rapids, Mich.
With 17,000 associates, SpartanNash operates two complementary business segments: food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 147 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets, and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. The company is No. 45 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. SpartanNash is also among PG’s 2024 10 Most Sustainable Grocers.
