Rite Aid names grocery vet to new chief marketing role
Rite Aid Corp. has appointed Erik Keptner to the newly-created position of senior VP and chief marketing and merchandising officer, effective June 24, 2019.
In this position, Keptner will be responsible for all aspects of marketing and merchandising. He will report to Bryan Everett, Rite Aid’s COO.
Keptner has more than 20 years’ experience in retail marketing, concentrated in the grocery sector. Most recently, he served as senior VP of marketing for Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned supermarket cooperative. In this role, he led digital commerce and analytics, advertising, corporate merchandising, own brands and digital media.
Prior to that, he had a 20-year career with Ahold Delhaize and its Giant Food Stores division. There, he served in various roles of increasing responsibility including executive VP of marketing and senior VP of sales, marketing and merchandising. While in these roles, Keptner led efforts to enhance the company’s loyalty program, accelerate digital marketing and e-commerce, evolve store formats and merchandising programs, and create a culture focused on making consumer-centric data-driven decisions.
Keptner holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Penn State University and an MBA from Temple University.
Bill Renz, senior VP of category management, who has also been leading the marketing team as the company transitioned to a new organizational structure, will continue to play a key role in leading the Rite Aid category management and merchandising teams.
“Erik is an experienced retail executive who has proven that he can integrate and manage all aspects of an organization’s marketing and merchandising assets to provide great customer experiences, operate efficiently and deliver growth,” said Everett. “We’re excited to welcome Erik to our team as we continue to integrate our marketing and merchandising teams and enhance our omnichannel presence to deliver a seamlessly connected customer experience that drives growth.”
In this position, Keptner will be responsible for all aspects of marketing and merchandising. He will report to Bryan Everett, Rite Aid’s COO.
Keptner has more than 20 years’ experience in retail marketing, concentrated in the grocery sector. Most recently, he served as senior VP of marketing for Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned supermarket cooperative. In this role, he led digital commerce and analytics, advertising, corporate merchandising, own brands and digital media.
Prior to that, he had a 20-year career with Ahold Delhaize and its Giant Food Stores division. There, he served in various roles of increasing responsibility including executive VP of marketing and senior VP of sales, marketing and merchandising. While in these roles, Keptner led efforts to enhance the company’s loyalty program, accelerate digital marketing and e-commerce, evolve store formats and merchandising programs, and create a culture focused on making consumer-centric data-driven decisions.
Keptner holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Penn State University and an MBA from Temple University.
Bill Renz, senior VP of category management, who has also been leading the marketing team as the company transitioned to a new organizational structure, will continue to play a key role in leading the Rite Aid category management and merchandising teams.
“Erik is an experienced retail executive who has proven that he can integrate and manage all aspects of an organization’s marketing and merchandising assets to provide great customer experiences, operate efficiently and deliver growth,” said Everett. “We’re excited to welcome Erik to our team as we continue to integrate our marketing and merchandising teams and enhance our omnichannel presence to deliver a seamlessly connected customer experience that drives growth.”