Daniel Bell Promoted to Director of Produce for Grocery Outlet
EMERYVILLE, CA - Strength in leadership, passion for produce, and a keen eye for today’s changing consumer behaviors—these are only a few of the many elements that make Grocery Outlet a unique entity in the retail space. Embodying all three is also the company’s new Director of Produce, Daniel Bell, who assumed the position on January 1 of this year, further adding to the excitement around Grocery Outlet’s growth trajectory.
“My goals are to continue to help build on this great business, making sure we have the best quality produce at the best price and to keep working with and helping to develop this great team we have here at Grocery Outlet Produce,” Daniel shares with me. “In my new role, I will be more involved in our other regions versus strictly focused on our California and Nevada business. I’ll also be handing over some of the commodities I oversee and giving up some of my space on the buying desk so I can make room for these new initiatives.”
Daniel is very much a trailblazer in our industry, with a track record to covet as well. Daniel started as a closing Produce Clerk with Vons in 1990 and worked his way up to Trimmer—still his favorite job ever—and then to Assistant Produce Department Manager before making his way to a Vons’ Produce Manager. In 2006, Daniel was promoted to Produce Merchandiser with Safeway and its Randall’s Tom Thumb division in Texas, where he spent five awesome years.
In 2010, thanks to some nudging from his wife, Daniel accepted a position with Grocery Outlet as a Produce Floral Merchandiser and moved to Northern California where he began his next journey. Since then, Daniel has been promoted to Buyer, Senior Buyer, and now, Director.
“The best part of this for me is it opens up new opportunities for some other folks on our team to step up and show what they can do,” Daniel reflects. “This new role also allows me to work with everyone, especially the younger folks we have on our team now and share some of my experience at the retail level and how they can apply that to being a buyer. Our ‘next generation’ of leaders is here and I get to help them on their path—that’s exciting for me.”
Congrats, Daniel, on the promotion to Director of Produce for Grocery Outlet—from your friends at AndNowUKnow!