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ANTHONY CERA III Own Brands Manager, Perishables SpartanNash
Anthony Cera III has been with Grand Rapids, Mich.-based food solutions company SpartanNash for 13 years, but in the past two years, he has played a major role in the company’s own brands strategy, earning him praise from his SpartanNash team as an upand-coming star in private label. In 2021, Anthony was promoted to lead SpartanNash’s Own Brands, Perishables team based on his exemplary leadership skills and proven track record of success. In this role, he oversees a team of brand managers and ensures they have the resources and support they need. In 2022, Cera put an innovative spin on the Our Family private brand, leading the launch of SpartanNash’s new fresh brand, Fresh & Finest by Our Family. This brand delivers a more elevated flavor experience with unique tastes and high-quality ingredients, expanding options to SpartanNash banner store shoppers who are looking for an indulgent experience. With Cera’s guidance, Fresh & Finest by Our Family launched or converted 415 items, including both staples such as cantaloupe chunks and trendy offerings like zucchini noodles. Private label take-and-bake breads and dips were cited as customer favorites, as Cera helped grow sales and profit by more than 20% year-over-year in his Perishables department. Cera said that developing these private label
“After many months of development, it’s always a proud moment seeing a product come to life at retail.” — Anthony Cera III, SpartanNash
products is a fun exercise in creativity and connection with consumers. “After many months of development, it’s always a proud moment seeing a product come to life at retail,” he said. “I had the opportunity a few years ago to launch a limited edition line of premium ice cream. Ice cream is one of those categories that you can be highly innovative, have fun with, and can easily get people excited about. The product that I was most proud of was a cherry coffee SKU. We were able to partner with our supplier to create an exclusive recipe and incorporate our highest volume private label flavored bagged coffee SKU as an ingredient in the ice cream.” As private label continues to grow within SpartanNash’s portfolio and for grocery chains around the country, Cera looks to continue growing at the company and developing new and innovative products with his team in the leadership position. “I’m looking forward to continuing to practice and improve on being a better people leader,” said Cera. “I enjoy sharing my experiences and serving the needs of our associates, so I feel it’s important more now than ever to stay focused on that goal. Taking charge of my own learning and getting outside of my comfort zone is something that I feel is vital to growth both professionally and personally.”
KRISTIN PROVOST
Senior Manager, Category Insights Topco Associates In her role with Topco Associates, Kristin Provost oversees Category Insights of the private label provider, working directly with category managers to help grow and innovate the company’s various private brands. But that alone doesn’t encapsulate the scope of her work. She seeks ways to improve the selection and quality of the company’s private brand products and is integral in developing partnerships with local suppliers and vendors. In 2022, Provost worked to improve Topco’s Category Business Plan (CBP) process by helping category managers focus more on strategies and improving storytelling abilities. After years of developing CBPs, Topco leaders say it now has a stronger and more powerful process than ever before, and it is growing sales, thanks to Provost’s leadership. “I found the key to being a successful category manager was taking the time to talk with the members to understand everything from their unique markets and particular challenges to how different competition can look from region-to-region,” said Provost. “I then took their goals,
www.storebrands.com ● May/June 2023 ● Store Brands
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