GLENDALE, Calif. — Local Express has appointed Linda Yassen as vice president of partnerships, the company announced Thursday. Yassen will report directly to CEO Bagrat Safarian and will lead efforts to expand the company’s strategic partner ecosystem across the Americas.
The appointment comes as grocery retailers continue to invest in unified commerce and omnichannel capabilities to improve operational efficiency, customer engagement and direct digital sales.
“Linda understands what it takes to build a high-impact partner ecosystem around a modern technology platform,” said Bagrat Safarian, CEO of Local Express. “Her experience scaling channel programs and developing strategic alliances will help us expand our reach and create more value for retailers and partners alike.”
Yassen brings more than 20 years of experience developing channel and partnership programs across North America. In her new role, she will focus on expanding Local Express’ network of POS providers, wholesalers, resellers, and industry associations, while helping independent and regional grocers strengthen their ownership of customer relationships and data.
The company said Yassen will also work to educate reseller partners on the benefits of unified commerce platforms that connect ecommerce, in-store operations and delivery capabilities into a single system.
Her priorities include aligning partner strategies with evolving consumer shopping habits across online and mobile channels while supporting the operational realities of brick-and-mortar retail.
By leveraging retailer data tied to baskets, purchasing behavior and fulfillment performance, Local Express said Yassen will help partners and retailers make more informed decisions around assortment, pricing and promotional strategies outside the constraints of third-party marketplace platforms.
“I’m excited to join Local Express at a time when retailers are looking for better ways to unify operations, ecommerce and delivery while maintaining control of their customer relationships,” Yassen said. “There is a major opportunity to help partners and retailers move beyond marketplace dependency and build more profitable direct digital businesses.”
Before joining Local Express, Yassen held senior channel and alliance leadership roles at technology companies including Calligo, Storagepipe, Thrive, IIX and TELoIP. Her experience includes building channel programs, developing joint go-to-market strategies, negotiating contracts and creating incentive programs designed to increase partner engagement and sales growth.
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Glendale, California, Local Express provides AI-powered unified commerce technology for grocery retailers. The platform integrates ecommerce, loyalty, CRM, marketing automation and retail media capabilities to help regional, independent and specialty grocers manage omnichannel operations.
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