DE PERE, Aug. 25, 2026 – Todd Schnuck, Chairman and CEO of Festival Foods, announced today that Adam Whitney has been promoted to Festival Foods’ Chief Operating Officer. In this expanded role, Whitney takes full operational and strategic responsibility for running the Festival Foods business, driving day-to-day execution and long-term growth across all banner functions, as well as assuming oversight for Hometown Grocers, Inc. (HGI). Whitney will head the Festival Foods / HGI Banner Leadership Team while also serving on the executive leadership team for the holding company, 1939 Group, Inc.
“As we build for the future across Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers, we needed a leader who combines deep retail experience with a clear vision for where our industry is headed,” said Schnuck. “Adam brings a proven track record, a pragmatic ‘measure twice, cut once’ approach to execution, and a strong ability to leverage the new data and technology driving our growth. Most importantly, he is a true culture carrier who keeps our associates front of mind in every decision. His action-oriented leadership and dedication to our people make him the ideal leader to guide our banners forward.”
Whitney joined Festival in November 2023 as Senior Vice President of Merchandising & Marketing and was promoted to Chief Merchant in January 2026, taking on expanded responsibility for the company’s Fresh department. Since joining Festival’s Executive Leadership Team, Whitney has helped lead a broad transformation of the merchandising and marketing organization, including a companywide strategic roadmap, an organizational restructuring, updates to the company’s technology stack and renewed vendor partnerships. Under his leadership, Festival has sustained growth and has expanded market share in both center store and fresh categories.
“I am honored to take on this expanded role and lead such an exceptional team at Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers,” said Whitney. “We have built tremendous momentum over the past few years, and I look forward to building on that foundation – delivering outstanding value, quality, and service to our guests and communities across Wisconsin.”
More Information About Adam Whitney
Whitney brings more than 28 years of retail leadership experience across grocery, general merchandise, convenience and online channels, with a background spanning both Fortune 100 and regional retailers. He has served in key leadership roles that span merchandising & category management, financial planning & allocation, private label, store operations, loyalty & rewards, compliance, pricing, and strategic planning.
Before joining Festival, he led Meijer’s fuel and convenience business across 232 stores in six states as Vice President of Meijer Express. Earlier in his career at Meijer, he served as Vice President of Pricing & Merchandise Presentation and Divisional Merchandise Manager. Prior to Meijer, Whitney spent eight years at Sears Holdings Corp. in merchandising and inventory management leadership roles, and also held merchandising positions at JC Penney and Target Corp.
Whitney is active in the community, serving as a board member for the Einstein Project, which supports STEM education, and as a committee and lifetime member for several conservation organizations focused on preserving natural resources.
Whitney holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan and has completed executive education programs at the MIT Sloan School of Management, the Wharton School and the Kellogg School of Management. He and his wife, Julie, have three children.
About Festival Foods
Founded in 1946 as Skogen’s IGA, Festival Foods is a Wisconsin family-owned grocer that is committed to giving back to the communities it serves and providing guests with exceptional service and value. The company, which began operating as Festival Foods in 1990, employs more than 7,000 full- and part-time associates and operates 42 full-service supermarkets across Wisconsin.
Festival Foods is part of 1939 Group, Inc., which is owned by the family that founded Schnuck Markets, Inc., and named after the year they opened the first Schnucks store. Other members of the family of companies include Schnuck Markets, Inc. and Hometown Grocers, Inc.
