Dive Brief:
- New Seasons Market confirmed in an email Monday that Nancy Lebold is no longer the grocer’s CEO.
- As part of a leadership shift, Dave Kauder will take over day-to-day operations in the new role of senior vice president of retail, a company spokesperson said.
- New Seasons said the leadership changes are part of a broader strategic shift within the banner to “enhance the company’s long-term growth and success.”
Dive Insight:
New Seasons did not say when or why Lebold stepped down as CEO — a position she held during a period of growth for the banner.
Her exit from the top role comes just a few months after workers went on a strike before Thanksgiving over alleged unfair labor practices and asked customers to boycott the grocer, Portland, Oregon, television station KOIN reported.
The chain told the news outlet at the time that it approached bargaining in “good faith” and said that first-time contracts are difficult when working with new, independent unions without legal representation.
New Seasons market operates 19 stores in the Portland; Vancouver, Washington; Seattle and Northern California areas.
Lebold was named CEO of New Seasons and New Leaf Community Markets, both of which are owned by Good Food Holdings, in April 2021. She joined from Kroger’s Food 4 Less banner and had previously worked for WinCo Foods for 27 years. New Leaf did not respond to questions about Lebold’s employment at its banner.
Kauder, who was previously on the company’s executive leadership team, brings nine years of experience at the grocer to the position, the grocer said. New Seasons said in an email that it expects Kauder to “foster sustainable growth within the organization.”
As SVP of retail, Kauder will support the grocer’s core business goals and also be in charge of customer experience initiatives, staff engagement and local partnerships.
Kauder has been a senior vice president at New Seasons since 2021 and before that served as a vice president of the company for more than four years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to joining New Seasons, Kauder worked at Whole Foods Market for nearly nine years and Wild Oats Market for almost two.
Good Food Holdings, which also runs other West Coast banners such as Bristol Farms and Metropolitan Market, bought New Seasons and its wholly owned subsidiary New Leaf at the end of 2019.
Sam Silverstein contributed reporting
