Yesway has named Ray Harrison as its chief marketing and merchandising officer, the company announced on Thursday.
In this role, Harrison will focus on driving innovation in the company’s merchandising mix, expanding private label and building up the tech stack to drive sales and EBITDA growth, a company spokesperson told C-Store Dive.
Harrison replaces Derek Gaskins, who departed in March to become head of guest experience for BP.
“Ray is an exceptional leader with a proven ability to translate strategic vision into measurable results,” said Tom Trkla, chairman, president and CEO of Yesway. “His deep industry expertise, innovative mindset, and commitment to excellence make him the ideal choice to lead our marketing and merchandising efforts as we continue to grow and evolve.”
Before joining Yesway, Harrison spent six years with Cal’s Convenience, most recently in the chief marketing and merchandising officer role, according to his LinkedIn profile. In that role, he led the marketing, merchandising and category management programs for more than 500 retail locations, spearheaded private label growth and designed the company’s digital loyalty program, Yesway noted in the announcement.
Before Cal’s, Harrison worked for more than 20 years with Brookshire Grocery Company, starting as a store director and working his way up to vice president of category management, merchandising and shopper marketing. During his tenure with Brookshire, he earned multiple industry honors for his work in category management, private label development and promotional strategy, according to the announcement.
“I am eager to support our store teams, strengthen our supplier partnerships, and deliver growth through a sharper, guest-first merchandising strategy,” Harrison said in the announcement.
Harrison joins Yesway as the company continues to expand in the Southwest while also planning to exit Iowa and Kansas.
