Coborn’s, Inc. has announced the appointment of Kris Roberts as senior vice president of center store merchandising.
Roberts will transition into the role when the current vice president, Andy Knoblauch, retires on March 1.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Kris to the Coborn’s team,” said David Best, Coborn’s, Inc’s chief operating officer. “She’s known for driving profitable growth and transformational change with a collaborative and inspiring leadership style. Kris will be a crucial part of the Coborn’s leadership team as we continue to advance our organization.”
In her new role, Roberts will be responsible for leading the company’s strategic merchandising initiatives in grocery, dairy, frozen, health and beauty, and general merchandise.
Roberts comes to Coborn’s with extensive experience in buying, merchandising, business development, and sales. She spent over 25 years at Target Corporation plus additional experience from Summit Point Services, Power Objects, Microsoft, and Wipro Limited. Roberts is a graduate of Minnesota State University – Mankato and St. Thomas University.
Knoblauch joined Coborn’s in 1990 as a buyer and quickly proved to be an asset to the organization. He became the vice president of sales in 1995 and senior vice president of sales and marketing in 2003 where he oversaw merchandising for fresh, center store and marketing.
Knoblauch was promoted to his current position in 2015.
Coborn’s, headquartered in St. Cloud, Minn., owns and operates 77 grocery stores in the Midwest, including the stores of the Sullivan’s chain.
