C&S Wholesale Grocers has announced Eric Winn will become the new chief executive of the company as of October 2. He is replacing the retiring CEO Bob Palmer.
Winn, the company’s current chief operating officer, joined C&S in 2004 and has held several leadership positions, the Keene-based company said in a news release. As chief operating officer, he was tasked with leading all operations, transportation, customer development and expansion, the company added.
“Eric has been visionary in transforming our operations to drive long-term sustainable growth,” Executive Chairman Rick Cohen said in a statement. He has been deeply invested in ensuring that C&S will continue to be a market leader, while developing a pipeline of strong talent in every aspect of our operations.”
Winn is currently responsible for all C&S Wholesale operations, including transportation, customer development and expansion. He joined the company in 2004 and has held various leadership positions. Prior to this, he served as president of Commercial, leading the commercial organization in support of independent and chain customers, as well as driving C&S's further expansion.
CEO Palmer initially retired in 2019 but came out of retirement to become CEO in October 2020. Since his appointment as CEO, Palmer oversaw the retail strategy at C&S including growth plans, customer satisfaction and day-to-day operations. He has had more than 30 years of industry experience, including serving as C&S's chief procurement officer and head buyer.
C&S services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with over 100,000 different products.