Tom Lee to Lead Supply Chain at SpartanNash

Midwestern grocery operator SpartanNash has hired a former Walmart ecommerce executive to lead its supply chain operations.

Tom Lee is now the company's SVP of supply chain, as which he will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies for supply chain management, with a focus on enhancing and expanding the company’s network to support customers’ growth initiatives while improving efficiency and reducing cost.

Reporting to President and COO Dave Staples, Lee will oversee SpartanNash's supply chain, logistics, transportation and inventory management departments.

“Tom is a proven leader with a strong track record in supply chain and merchandising functions,” Staples said. “His experience in instituting strategic supply chain growth and efficiency initiatives will help SpartanNash continue to grow in our wholesale, retail and military segments and build upon existing relationships with our customers.”

From 2015 to 2017, Lee was VP of merchandising operations for U.S. ecommerce at Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart. In this role, he built out supply chain and merchandising operational functions for the global e-commerce division, overseeing the planning and replenishment for both owned and drop-ship vendors, with more than 10,000 suppliers and 26 million unique SKUs across a $1 billion inventory.

Lee previously was Walmart’s VP of supply chain innovations for global ecommerce, has also held supply chain leadership positions for Henry Schein and Office Depot, and has been a senior-level consultant for both Ernst & Young and KPMG.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash’s core businesses include distributing grocery products to independent grocery retailers, national accounts, its corporate-owned retail stores and U.S. military commissaries. The company serves customer locations in 47 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bahrain and Egypt. SpartanNash operates 153 supermarkets, primarily under the Family Fare Supermarkets, Family Fresh Market, D&W Fresh Market and SunMart banners.