Dive Brief:

• SpartanNash has promoted Amy McClellan to senior vice president and chief marketing officer (CMO), according to a press release on Monday.
• McClellan, who previously served as vice president of fresh merchandising, has been with SpartanNash since its acquisition in 2019 of Martin’s, where she worked for 20 years. She fills the role vacated by Lori Raya, who left the company last year after a short tenure. 
• McClellan brings almost 25 years of experience, including knowledge of marketing, fresh merchandising and retail operations, to the role. 

Dive Insight:

As CMO, McClellan will help SpartanNash expand its e-commerce business, improve its retail branding and increase its total market share among primary and secondary shoppers, President and CEO Tony Sarsam said in a statement.

McClellan started working in the grocery industry in high school, when she became a part-time cashier. She worked for Martin’s for 20 years, holding a number of roles in communications and marketing as she advanced to eventually become senior vice president of retail operations and merchandising. 

McClellan joined SpartanNash in 2019 when the company acquired Martin’s. SpartanNash said in the press release on her CMO promotion that she played a “critical role” in the Martin’s acquisition, which led to her appointment as division vice president of retail for SpartanNash.

Last March, she became vice president of fresh merchandising, overseeing the fresh product categories across 145 company-owned stores and 2,100 independent retail customers. As CMO, McClellan now heads up the marketing department and reports to Sarsam.

“Amy has brought invaluable expertise and leadership to SpartanNash, and this role is a natural progression in her career path,” Sarsam said, noting that promotions are a “key” part of the company’s culture. 

Raya, the former CMO, left SpartanNash last summer after just over two years with the company and became division president of the mid-Atlantic region for Kroger in July, according to her LinkedIn profile. 

McClellan's promotion follows several changes among top roles at SpartanNash last year, which included hiring David Petko, previously with C&S Wholesale Grocers, as chief supply chain officer; naming Douglas Hacker as chairman of its board of directors; and appointing former Borden Dairy executive Jason Monaco as its chief financial officer. The company also hired Ileana McAlary as chief legal officer and corporate secretary and promoted Tyler King from senior director to vice president of finance.