United Natural Foods Inc. has appointed David Best as president and chief executive officer of its retail division, effective Aug. 17.
Best will lead the wholesaler’s retail growth strategy and oversee its two grocery banners, Cub Foods and Shoppers Food Warehouse. He will report to UNFI CEO Sandy Douglas and serve on the senior leadership team.
Best most recently was president and chief operating officer of Coborn’s Inc., a Minnesota-based grocery retailer, where he led expansion into new categories and built out the management team. He previously served as senior vice president of omnichannel and strategic capabilities at General Mills and spent 19 years at Target in leadership roles across merchandising, supply chain, and business development.
Based in Providence, R.I., UNFI is the largest full-service grocery wholesaler in North America, supplying more than 30,000 locations, including independent retailers, supermarket chains, ecommerce operators, and food service customers.
The company also said last month it has fully restored operations following a June cyberattack that disrupted ordering and distribution systems. UNFI expects the incident to weigh on fourth-quarter earnings and raise operating costs but said sales have recovered.
“Operations are back to normal,” Douglas told analysts on a July 16 business update call. “This was a significant disruption, but it’s one we’ve contained, and it will not have lasting operational effects.”
The attack, disclosed in early June, prompted UNFI to shut down key systems to limit its spread and safeguard data. The company restored its main ordering platform within 10 days and resumed most distribution and administrative functions by late June. All ordering, shipping, and back-office systems are now fully operational, and UNFI expects fill rates, delivery times, and volume to keep improving in the weeks ahead.
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