Heritage Grocers Group Names VP Center Store
Heritage Grocers Group (HGG), the largest Hispanic and ethnic food retailer in the United States, has hired Kim Cates for the position of VP of center store. Reporting directly to Eric Stover, chief merchandising officer for HGG, Cates will oversee center store merchandising initiatives.
“Kim brings extensive wholesale and grocery industry experience to her new role,” noted Stover. “She will play a vital role in advancing the company’s center store transformation by leveraging key insights to drive enhanced category planning, promotional effectiveness and customer-centric innovation.”
Cates’ long food industry career includes 23 years with San Antonio-based H-E-B, where she steadily progressed through various store operations roles, among them director of food service and general manager of H-E-B Central Market. She also spent several years at Stamford, Conn.-based Daymon, where she developed private brands across multiple center store and fresh categories for H-E-B and Southeastern Grocers.
Before coming to HGG, Cates was director of center store sales at Kansas City, Kan.-based Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving 1,100 member companies and more than 3,400 locations throughout 33 states from nine wholesale divisions.
Cates earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and has completed the Executive Leadership Development Program at Cornell University.
Also this week, HGG promoted Matthew Holt to the role of CFO, in which he reports directly to new Chair and CEO Suzy Monford.
Based in Ontario, Calif., HGG operates in six states – California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Kansas and Illinois – with a total of 58 stores under the Cardenas Markets banner, 29 stores under the El Rancho Supermercado banner, 21 stores under the Tony’s Fresh Market banner and seven stores under the Los Altos Ranch Market banner.
Based in San Antonio, H-E-B operates 435-plus stores in Texas and Mexico. The company is No. 15 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers is an omnichannel retailer serving customers in brick-and-mortar grocery stores and liquor stores, as well as online with convenient grocery delivery and curbside pickup throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
