UNFI Announces Regional Restructuring

Wholesale grocery and private label supplier United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) has announced a regional restructuring, consolidating from four operating regions to three.

The three new regions will be called East, Central, and West. In total, UNFI will eliminate approximately 150 roles as part of this announced restructuring effort, primarily in management or supervisory roles. The company said the decision will “enhance profitability, speed, decision-making and reduce administrative layers.”

“These changes are a step in our transformation plan,” said Sandy Douglas, UNFI CEO. “The regional realignment will decrease layers of administrative management, increase leaders’ span of geographic responsibility, better align us to serve customers with less complexity, and support faster decision making. These changes are also intended to make our company more efficient and more profitable.”

The new East Region will span from Maine to Florida and as far west as Tennessee. It will encompass 22 distribution centers and service more than 10,000 customers. It will be led by Kelly Sosa, region president, East.

The new Central Region will cover the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, comprising 21 states, 16 distribution centers and approximately 9,000 customers. It will be led by Tandy Harvey, region president, Central.

Finally, the new West Region will span 10 states, from Utah to Alaska. It will serve approximately 11,000 customers from 14 distribution centers. It will be led by Bob Garibaldi, region president, West. All region presidents will report to Steve Dietz, UNFI’s chief customer officer.

Based in Providence, R.I., UNFI supplies products to more than 30,000 grocery and retail locations throughout North America.