SpartanNash is parting ways with Chief Strategy and Information Officer Masiar Tayebi, the grocery retailer and wholesaler disclosed in a March 13 regulatory filing.
Tayebi, who also holds the title of executive vice president, is set to leave on April 11 and “is working with the Company to ensure an orderly transition,” SpartanNash said.
The Michigan-based company did not provide a reason for Tayebi’s departure, but indicated that he will receive benefits “consistent with a qualifying termination of employment other than for death, disability or cause.” Those benefits include payments that could total nearly $1.4 million, according to SpartanNash’s most recent proxy statement.
Tayebi joined SpartanNash in April 2021 as executive vice president and chief strategy officer after serving as global head of corporate strategy and business development for appliance maker Whirlpool. SpartanNash promoted him to his current position leading the company’s technology team in October 2022, with CEO Tony Sarsam praising his experience “connecting strategy, technology, innovation and execution to drive growth and transformational change.”
SpartanNash is ending its relationship with Tayebi at a time when the grocery company is looking to bolster growth by expanding its retail operations. That side of the company posted a sales increase during SpartanNash’s most recent quarter while its wholesale division, which accounts for the majority of its revenue, contracted.
SpartanNash last year agreed to acquire regional grocery store chains Fresh Encounter and Metcalfe’s Market as well as convenience store operator and fuel distributor Markham Enterprises. In January, however, the company said it intended to close four supermarkets, noting that the grocery business grew at a slower rate in the markets where it operates than in the U.S. as a whole.
