Herbert Mines Places Chief Store Operations Officer for Grocery Outlet Holding Corp.
October 14, 2025 – New York-based retail and consumer focused executive search firm Herbert Mines Associates has partnered with Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. in the placement of Frank Kerr as executive vice president, chief store operations officer. “Frank’s proven leadership experience in grocery retail and the exceptional results he has achieved throughout his career, in both licensee and traditional grocery models, make him an ideal leader of our store operations team,” said Jason Potter, president and CEO of Grocery Outlet. “Frank brings operational expertise across a multitude of functional areas, including store operations, marketing, strategy, and market expansion, to support our independent operators to drive execution and store performance in our next chapter of profitable growth. We look forward to welcoming Frank to our team.”
Mr. Kerr has more than a decade of progressive leadership experience in the grocery retail space, and has a strong track record of driving growth, efficiency, and profitability across large store fleets. He joins Grocery Outlet from Lidl US, where he most recently served as the company’s senior vice president, operations, and its chief customer officer. During his tenure with Lidl, he oversaw the grocer’s expansion into the U.S., achieving significant market share gains while delivering consistent top- and bottom-line results. Mr. Kerr previously served as vice president of retail operations for Save A Lot, where he drove improvements in operational performance across the company’s fleet of more than 900 retail partner licensed grocery stores.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Grocery Outlet team and to be part of the company’s mission focused on making a positive difference in the lives of customers by offering exceptional value and a shopping experience they’ll love,” said Mr. Kerr. “I look forward to partnering with our team and our independent operators to bring that mission to life every day through strong execution in stores, while delivering sustainable growth and stronger profitability for the benefit of all of our stakeholders.”
Based in Emeryville, CA, Grocery Outlet is a high-growth, extreme value retailer of quality, name-brand consumables and fresh products sold primarily through a network of independently operated stores. Grocery Outlet and its subsidiaries have more than 550 stores in California, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Idaho, Nevada, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky and Virginia.
Established in 1978, Herbert Mines is a specialist search firm focusing on the retail, fashion and apparel, beauty, consumer products and services, hospitality, leisure, restaurant, and digital/technology industries. The firm is noted for its C-suite recruiting work. Herbert Mines has conducted upwards of 3,600 searches during the tenure of Hal Reiter, who joined the firm in 1993 as president, and was appointed chairman and chief executive officer in 1998.
Related: Herbert Mines Associates Recruits Chief Merchandising Officer for Claire’s Holdings
Brenda Malloy is the firm’s CEO. She brings over 40 years of experience to Herbert Mines Associates. During her career, she has authored numerous articles on retail CEO succession, omnichannel leadership, in addition to being a featured speaker at the National Retail Federation’s annual convention in New York City. Working with leading retailers at the senior-most levels to assemble winning leadership teams, Ms. Malloy primarily recruits board directors, CEOs, and their direct reports for publicly traded, privately held and private equity backed companies spanning vertical specialty, lifestyle and branded retail, off-price/value, grocery, hardlines, mass, and the specialty department store sectors.
PacSun Search
Herbert Mines also recently recruited Rachel Donahue as vice president of human resources at PacSun. “Rachel brings a wealth of experience in talent strategy, culture-building, and leadership development—and a clear passion for creating environments where people can thrive,” said Brieane Olson, CEO of PacSun. “Her thoughtful, people-first approach will be instrumental as we continue to evolve our brand and strengthen our internal community. We’re excited for the impact she’ll make and grateful to have her join us on this journey. Welcome to the team, Rachel.”
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Ms. Donahue brings with her more than two decades of experience leading people strategy across respected retail and fashion brands. Most recently, she served as vice president of people and culture at Aritzia, where she was responsible for talent management, executive development, and shaping the company’s inclusive, high-performance culture. Her prior experience includes senior HR roles at Saks, Tory Burch, and Macy’s.
Pacific Sunwear of California, LLC, commonly known as PacSun, is an American retail clothing brand. The company sells lifestyle apparel, along with swim, footwear and accessories designed for teens and young adults. The company operates 325 stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
