SpartanNash continues to build an all-star executive team with the recent appointment of Amazon veteran Bennett Morgan as SVP and chief merchandising officer. Before joining the Michigan-based food solutions company this month, Morgan served as an Amazon Fresh category leader.
At the online retailer, Morgan helped roll out Amazon’s grocery business and worked on the opening of several brick-and-mortar stores around the United States. In his new position at SpartanNash, he will report directly to president and CEO Tony Sarsam.
“SpartanNash continues to recruit top talent as part of our 'People First' strategy, and we are thrilled to welcome Bennett to the team. Bennett will play a critical role in driving innovation for our customers and excellence with our in-store experience,” said Sarsam.
In addition to his experience at Amazon, Morgan brings a wealth of other food retailing experience to SpartanNash. He was VP of merchandising for Walmart China and Japan and worked for several years at Texas-based H-E-B, where he led store operations, supply chain manufacturing and merchandising. He earned a degree in economics from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from Dartmouth College.
This appointment is the latest executive hiring at SpartanNash. Since Sarsam was tapped as CEO in late 2020, he has brought on several key leaders in the areas of marketing, communications, legal, finance and other functions.
SpartanNash’s core businesses include distributing grocery products to independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges, as well as fresh produce distribution and fresh food processing. No. 39 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Djibouti. SpartanNash also operates 146 supermarkets and employs 19,000 associates.