Peapod Digital Labs taps Ian Prisuta to lead private labels

Ian Prisuta has joined Ahold Delhaize USA’s Peapod Digital Lab as senior vice president of private brands.

Chicago-based Peapod said Tuesday that Prisuta, most recently a senior adviser at Boston Consulting Group, will oversee the own-brands team, encompassing services from new product development and innovation, product packaging and design to quality, product integrity and sustainability for Ahold Delhaize USA’s supermarket banners.

Prisuta (pictured left) will have responsibility for the full suite of private-brand products, including such labels as Taste of Inspirations, Nature’s Promise and CareOne, among others.

“I’m excited to join the team and continue my career in such a dynamic part of the retail industry,” Prisuta said in a statement. “Private-label products represent a unique opportunity for the brands of Ahold Delhaize USA. Customers’ lives are constantly in motion, trying to find ways to have more convenience, more value, more options related to additives, ingredients or health. Private brands can play a big role in that, and I’m excited to be part of defining what that looks like with the brands of Ahold Delhaize USA.”

Before his 16 months as a Boston Consulting Group senior adviser, Prisuta spent 20 years at grocery chain Giant Eagle, most recently as senior vice president and chief merchandising officer for supermarkets and the Market District banner and as senior vice president of business development, strategy and innovation. Other posts he held at the Pittsburgh-based chain include senior vice president of merchandising and vice president of business systems. He started at Giant Eagle in 2001 as supply chain manager.

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Peapod described Prisuta as “an accomplished business executive” with extensive experience in “leading transformations across multiple areas within the retail supermarket business.”

“We are proud to welcome Ian to the company,” JJ Fleeman, president of digital and commercial services at Peapod Digital Labs, said in a statement. Fleeman also serves as chief e-commerce officer of Ahold Delhaize USA. “I am confident that Ian’s leadership and experience will enable us to deliver products with compelling price and product positioning and a story that surprises and inspires customers, especially during a continued time of growth for the private-brand sector.”

Ahold Delhaize USA operates more than 2,000 supermarkets on the East Coast under the Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Food Lion and Hannaford banners, as well as online grocer FreshDirect. The company formed Peapod Digital Labs in May 2018 to develop e-commerce solutions and drive omnichannel innovation for its local grocery brands. Its efforts run from digital, web and mobile technology development to digitalization and personalization of the customer experience to optimizing e-commerce fulfillment and delivery.

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