United Natural Foods (UNFI) announced the appointment of Andre Persaud as President and Chief Executive Officer of Retail, effective November 6, 2023.
Persaud will lead the company’s two retail banners, CUB (primarily in Minnesota) and Shoppers Food Warehouse (Washington D.C. and Maryland).
He will serve on UNFI’s senior leadership team and report to Sandy Douglas, UNFI’s CEO and President, according to the company.
Persaud comes to UNFI after spending nearly 30 years in retail and the past 20 years in senior leadership roles with ample food and pharmacy operations. He is a results-driven and collaborative leader with broad and diverse experience leading publicly and private equity-owned retail organizations.
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“Andre is a proven leader with a demonstrated track record of success across various retail organizations,” said Douglas. “We are excited for Andre to join our team and look forward to the positive contributions he will bring to the company in this leadership position.”
Persaud is a Proven Leader in the Industry
Persaud has served as Chief Retail Officer of Rite Aid, leading the $17 billion drugstore business as President/COO. Executive consultant at Wakefern Foods/ShopRite. Also, as Executive Vice President of Retail at Shopko Stores; Senior Vice President of Store Operations at Burlington, and Senior Vice President at Loblaw Companies Ltd. He held progressive leadership roles at Shoppers Drug Mart and Wal-Mart Canada.
Most recently, he has served as a senior advisor with Alvarez and Marsal Consumer and Retail Group, working in a C-level capacity with a respective client. Persaud is also a board and strategic advisor to Pharmacity, one of Vietnam’s largest pharmacy chains.
During his career, Persaud has been recognized by Mass Market Retailers as one of the top fifty retail executives in North America. By Business Insider magazine as a top retail power player and by the National Diversity Council for leadership excellence. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo.