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KEASBY, N.J. — Patrick Mooney’s career at Wakefern Food Corp. has been marked by a swift ascent through a succession of merchandising management roles into the executive ranks. As vice president of health and beauty and general merchandise for the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the country, he leads businesses that are not only generating excitement and innovation for customers but are important revenue contributors for Wakefern and its retailer members.
Mooney joined Wakefern after graduating from the College of New Jersey in 2009, when the world was mired in a severe recession. While the grocery business was not immune from the effects of the downturn, it continued to perform an essential role in society, and that fact aligned well with Mooney’s professional goals.
“I was passionate about having a career that I felt could make an impact,” he said in a recent interview. “I wanted to do work and be part of an organization that I knew, at the end of the day, was making our world a better place. And what more humble, but important, job exists today than helping people to eat well and take care of their families?”
Indeed, the grocery industry is frequently called on to meet people’s needs at times of extraordinary crisis. When Superstorm Sandy devastated areas in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in October 2012, Wakefern and its members quickly stepped up, providing food for volunteers and “warming stations” to help people without power get some warmth, enjoy a cup of coffee or cocoa and recharge their cell phones.
“Our members live and work in the communities where their stores operate and it’s important to them to help their neighbors. They support thousands of local organizations and charities, and their retail teams share that commitment to community,” Mooney remarked. “During the pandemic, our supermarkets were considered essential businesses, and they became places people knew they could count on to get what they needed for their families. Our retail teams continued to show up each day in the face of uncertainty and worked hard to serve their neighbors.”
After a couple of years in analytical roles first as a business analyst and then procurement analyst, Mooney was appointed category manager in November 2011. Those early roles, he noted, helped him understand how systems and technology can complement the retail environment, and he credits Wakefern’s leadership with giving him the opportunity to work in different functional areas across the organization.
After three and a half years as a category manager, he was named procurement manager for the grocery division in March 2015. Mooney was appointed sales manager for the division in January 2016, followed by promotion to corporate merchandising manager in June 2018. Two years later he moved into the executive ranks when he was elevated to vice president of merchandising support, a position he held until he was named vice president of health and beauty, general merchandise in January 2022.
That career path immersed him in vital aspects of merchandising such as pricing analytics, forecasting, product sourcing, space planning and P&L management, all of which contributed to his growth as a merchant and prepared him to lead the HBC and GM businesses.
Mooney enjoys the merchant’s role because it combines science, in the form of analytics and data insights, with instinct and know-how that enable one to get out in front of emerging trends not yet visible in the data and to create programs and offerings that customers want.
As the nation’s biggest retailer-owned grocery cooperative with 45 members operating around 365 stores, Wakefern is structured differently than a supermarket chain. The cooperative uses a committee-based decision-making process that brings Wakefern teams together with its family-owned member businesses. Mooney believes that enables the organization to shape its strategies and initiatives better and execute them in a way that yields the best results.
“The partnership between Wakefern and the membership, and our committee-based process are all part of the secret sauce that drives our success,” Mooney explained. “We have a built-in feedback system from retail that I don’t think exists in the same way in larger chains or top-down organizations. Our structure and governance is built on feedback, ideation and collaboration across the two groups. Our members are in their stores each day, and they know what customers want. Wakefern, meanwhile, provides the support services and expertise to help retail teams execute at store level.”
Among recent initiatives, Wakefern announced a Total Store Local Supplier Summit, which is an open call to vendors intended to attract new local suppliers who can offer unique, on-trend food and nonfood products. Wakefern has sponsored similar summits in the past to source new products for its store brands, Bowl & Basket and Wholesome Pantry. It has proven to be an effective way to reach small businesses and entrepreneurs with unique items.
Looking ahead, Mooney says his team will continue to focus on the customer for emerging needs and opportunities, especially in the HBC category. “We will continue to ramp up our assortment and offerings, both online and in-store,” he said. “We see GLP-1 and weight loss solutions being a part of the lives of more and more customers. We believe there’s an opportunity to help educate customers and provide products that can complement their regimen and support their wellness and weight loss goals. ” •
