The Raley’s Companies said Monday that it has tapped two current employees to serve in senior roles directing sales and merchandising activities for the grocer’s Bashas’ and Raley’s units.
Jessica Blakely has become vice president of sales and merchandising for the Bashas’ banner, while Faith Garrard has assumed the same position at Raley’s Operating Company.
In her new position, Blakely will be responsible for functions including category management for fresh and center store as well as merchandising for Bashas’, Bashas’ Diné, and Food City stores.
Blakely began working for parent company Raley’s in 2014, holding multiple roles on the grocery chain’s sales, merchandising and marketing teams. She most recently served as vice president of marketing, a role in which dealt with the company’s loyalty and retail media programs, data analytics activities and customer relationship management.
Earlier in her career, Blakely led private label development for Raley’s. Before joining Raley’s, she worked for retailers including Old Navy and Ross Stores, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Blakely’s promotion “marks a significant step forward as we continue to strengthen our operations and deliver exceptional value to our customers in Arizona and New Mexico,” Keith Knopf, CEO of The Raley’s Companies, said in a statement.
Garrard held several roles at Raley’s before being promoted to vice president of sales and merchandising, including executive director of fresh and alcohol as well as director of meat and seafood, according to her profile on LinkedIn. She worked for Superior Farms, a lamb supplier, before joining Raley’s in 2018.
Garrard’s “dedication to elevating our fresh categories and building strong vendor partnerships has inspired teams across the organization and positioned us for continued growth,” Knopf said..
The promotions of Blakely and Garrard follow several other executive appointments by Raley’s this year.
The company announced in January that it had elevated Jen Warner to become its first chief growth and transformation officer and promoted Levi Wingo to senior vice president of product and merchandising innovation. Paul Gianetto, who formerly served as senior vice president of merchandising and sales, also assumed his role as president of Raley’s Operating Division at the start of this year.
