Ahold Delhaize has named Dave Bass the managing director of its pure-play online fresh food grocery business, FreshDirect, effective September 20. He succeeds Farhan Siddiqi, chief digital officer of Ahold Delhaize, who has served as interim CEO of FreshDirect since May. Siddiqi will return his role as CDO for the parent company where he also serves on the Dutch merchant’s executive committee.
“I would like to congratulate Dave on his appointment to lead FreshDirect. He brings a wealth of experience to the brand, having recently led Omnichannel Merchandising Support for the Peapod Digital Labs division of Ahold Delhaize USA”, said Frans Muller, CEO Ahold Delhaize. “He is a great choice to continue to drive FreshDirect’s growth as a key pillar of Ahold Delhaize’s omnichannel strategy.”
Commenting on his new job, Bass said, “FreshDirect is a truly unique brand, working directly with local suppliers, growers and farmers to deliver the freshest and best-tasting products directly to people’s doorsteps. I look forward to working with the team and helping FreshDirect grow its leading customer service and high-quality assortment to customers in the greater New York City area.”
Bass began his supermarket career with Hannaford in 2006, which at the time was a division of Delhaize America. In 2010 he moved to a corporate role as VP-associate relations and then in 2011 he became VP-total rewards at Delhaize America. In 2014, he joined sister company Food Lion as VP of its Central Division. After Ahold and Delhaize merged in 2017, Bass was named SVP-merchandising and marketing services, part of the Retail Business Services unit of the now-merged company. In January 2021, he moved to ADUSA’s Peapod Digital Labs division where he most recently served as SVP-Omnichannel Merchandising Support until his promotion. He holds a BA in economics from Bates College.
Siddiqi, who prior to joining Ahold Delhaize in 2019, served as chief digital officer for McDonald’s. He added the interim chief executive role at FreshDirect to his duties on May 5 when David McInerney, who joined the New York City-based e-commerce grocer in 2001 and has been chief executive of FreshDirect since 2018, stepped down.
FreshDirect was founded in 1999 by Joe Fedele, Jason Ackerman and McInerney. Fedele served as CEO from 2002 until 2004 and was succeeded by Jason Ackerman, who resigned from the merchant in 2018 when McInerney, a former chef, took the helm.
In 2018, FreshDirect relocated its corporate headquarters and its primary distribution center from Long Island City (Queens) to a new 400,000 square foot automated depot in the Bronx. The company now services parts of seven states including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia in addition to the District of Columbia. The e-merchant also operates a smaller distribution center in Prince George’s County, MD.
In November 2020, Ahold Delhaize (80 percent ownership) and private equity firm Centerbridge Partners (20 percent) announced that they had agreed to acquire FreshDirect for what was later revealed to be $408 million (Ahold Delhaize’s stake cost approximately $327 million). Annual estimated sales for FreshDirect are believed to be approximately $700 million.
The deal was consummated and approved in January 2021 and a new structure was set in place with seven directors – five from Ahold Delhaize including Muller and Siddiqi – and two from Centerbridge.
