Dubai: Spinneys Dubai has appointed Matthew Frost as chief executive officer, effective January 2018, the grocer said on Tuesday.
Frost joins the retailer from Waitrose UK, where he held the position of director of B2B and Commercial Operations and where he had worked since 2010.
His time at the high-end supermarket saw him developing the Waitrose brand both domestically and across 58 international markets, according to a statement announcing his appointment.
The new chief executive has held roles at British grocer Asda and Asda’s parent company, Wal-Mart, serving its international division in Bentonville, US, and Shenzhen, China.
Speaking about his new role, Matt Frost said in a statement: “Spinneys has that rare combination of a passionate customer base, quality produce, amazingly talented people and momentum in the market. I’m excited for the challenge ahead and very much looking forward to getting stuck in and seeing what we can achieve together as we build on the next phase of the company.”
After 15 years heading up the company, Spinneys CEO Jannie Holtzhausen will step down from his position as chief executive in January 2018.
Holtzhausen will take up a corporate role with the Alwardy Group following his departure, however, will continue to chair the executive team at Spinneys whilst also overseeing the recently-launched agricultural business.
Holtzhausen oversaw Spinneys growth from seven stores to almost seventy stores today under the brands Spinneys, Waitrose, Al Fair and Taste Kitchen, with a statement from the company describing his contribution as “critical.”
