Whole Foods’ CEO to Map Out Retailer’s Vision at Grocery Impact Event

Shortly after taking on the CEO role at Whole Foods Market last September, Jason Buechel shared a 10-year vision for the retailer, focusing on the best customer experiences, investing in team members, delivering exceptional business performance and expanding reach to serve shoppers in new ways. As Buechel begins his second year at the helm of the Amazon-owned company, he will share progress on that vision and its goal of nourishing people and the planet during Progressive Grocer’s Grocery Impact event in Orlando, Fla., from Nov. 7-9.

Speaking on the second day of the event at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort, Buechel will share what he learned – and how he learned it – when he embarked on his “Whole Conversations Tour” in 2022. He will also provide a look at Whole Foods’ next chapter, as the grocer refines its strategies to support feeding consumers now and into the future, by working with partners on climate-friendly agriculture and helping educate consumers.

Following a networking breakfast on Wednesday, Nov. 8, Buechel will lead the general session at Grocery Impact from 9 to 9:30 a.m.

Buechel took over from retiring Whole Foods’ co-founder and CEO John Mackey in 2022, moving up from chief operating officer. He joined the business in 2013 as global VP and information officer and was promoted to an EVP in 2015 and elevated to COO in 2019. Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seattle-based Amazon, which is No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of top food and consumables retailers in North America.

In addition to Buechel, Progressive Grocer’s reimagined Grocery Impact event features a stellar lineup of presenters. Other confirmed speakers include Brad Brookshire, CEO of Brookshire Grocery Co., Tim Lowe, president of Lowes Foods and Suzanne Long, chief sustainability officer at Albertsons Cos. Throughout the three-day event, leaders from Kroger, Lidl, Hy-Vee, Harris Teeter and other grocery businesses will also share their secrets to transformation, operating models and how to navigate the ups and downs of a hyper-competitive market.

Another hallmark of Progressive Grocer’s marquee event is the celebration of this year’s winners of the Top Women in Grocery (TWIG) and GenNext awards.