HAC, Inc., the parent company of Homeland Grocery Stores, has appointed grocery industry veteran David Criscione as president and CEO, the Oklahoma City-based supermarket chain announced Thursday.
Criscione is taking over the top spot at Homeland, which operates 78 grocery stores in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Georgia, after serving in high-level roles at Walmart International, Amazon and Ahold Delhaize predecessor Delhaize Group. He most recently served as CEO of Jyve Corp., a supplier of software to retailers, according to his profile on LinkedIn.
As chief executive of Homeland, Criscione will oversee a company formed in 1916, when the first United Supermarket opened. Today, Homeland runs stores under banners including Homeland, United, Cash Saver, Ponca City Discount Foods, Food World and Piggly Wiggly. The company runs 37 stores in Oklahoma and says it is the state’s largest locally owned grocery chain.
Criscione is replacing Marc Jones as the employee-owned company’s president and CEO. Jones served in the role from late 2016 until the end of 2021, according to his profile on LinkedIn.
Criscione, who is beginning his new job with Homeland on Monday, served in executive roles in finance, strategy and technology during his tenure with Walmart. He served as senior vice president of Walmart International from late 2016 through January 2020, and oversaw the retailer's e-commerce business in Canada during part of his time with the retailer, his LinkedIn profile indicates.
Before joining Walmart, Criscione launched physical grocery stores for Amazon as general manager of Amazon Go, according to the announcement. Criscione’s LinkedIn profile also notes that he was part of the team that explored Amazon’s eventual purchase of Whole Food Market in 2017.
Prior to moving to Amazon, Criscione worked in several executive roles at Delhaize, where he was involved with the company’s Food Lion and Hannaford banners.
