MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Target is enhancing its produce team with another new addition: Robby Cruz.
Sources say that the 21-year Albertsons/Safeway veteran has been appointed as Target’s new Director of Perishables Sourcing, Merchandising. This change will be made effective December 1, 2015. Robby will oversee Target’s perishables business, all while delivering freshness and improving the overall guest experience.
During his tenure at Safeway, Robby held several leadership roles across sales, marketing, merchandising, and strategic procurement of produce and floral. His experience will no doubt be of great value as Target looks to expand its presence in fresh, perishable foods.
His team at Target will consist of Senior Produce Sourcing Leads Mike Tucker, Brendon Krieg, Andrew Schuster, and Jerry Arne, and Sourcing Analysts Diego Diaz, Natalie Obst, and Ryan Rogers.
This isn’t the first seasoned Safeway professional that Target has tapped in 2015. Scott Bradley, Safeway’s former Vice President of Corporate Supply Chain, joined Target as its new Vice President of Perishables earlier this year, as we previously reported.
The news of Robby’s addition comes hot on the heels of recent announcements that Target would be looking to perform fresh-focused tests at 25 Los Angeles stores and potentially seek outside partnerships to strengthen its fresh food supply chain.
Could this be the start of a produce revolution at Target? While it’s still too early to tell, these hires certainly hint that something is in the works, especially given the retailer’s acceleration in food sales this past quarter.
As we covered in a previous report, Target CEO Brian Cornell said that he was encouraged by the company’s improved performance in food, saying, “We’ve been very focused on assortment changes and bringing more natural, organic local items into many of our categories, and we’re seeing the guest react very favorably.”
We will have to continue to wait and see how exactly Target will up its game in the perishables department, but if Robby and Scott’s appointments are anything to consider, it could be promising.
