Jim Smits
VP of Retail Development
Lonergan Partners is pleased to announce that James ‘Jim’ Smits has been named Vice President of US Retail Development at Retail Solutions, Inc. The search was led by Michael Cunningham.
About Jim
With more than thirty years in retail, working across multiple formats from extreme value up to gourmet food concepts, Jim has gained a wide-range of experience in operations, merchandising, marketing, and supply chain. Previous to RSi, Jim has held executive level merchandising positions with both grocery and dollar channels. At Edible Arrangements, Jim served as Group VP of Global Sourcing and Supply Chain. Prior, he managed a annual operating plan in excess of $7.5 billion supporting over 10,000 retail stores in 42 states for Dollar General as the SVP and General Merchandise Manager of Consumables. Earlier, Jim led an annual operating plan in excess of $3 billion as Group VP of Perishables at Winn Dixie Stores.
In his new role at RSi, he will use his in-depth industry knowledge to help support and build new relationships with all existing RSi retail customers. Focusing on direct feedback, Jim will ensure that RSi continues to enhance retail product offering while also providing superior dedication to retail partners’ success.
Jim is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.
About Retail Solutions
Retail Solutions, Inc. (RSi) transforms data into value in the store, on the shelf and with shoppers worldwide. To achieve operational excellence and measure performance daily, the world’s leading companies turn to RSi to transform their data into actionable insights. As the leader in data management and retail execution, their goal is to bring operational clarity to our customers so they can operate their business more successfully. From solving out-of-stocks to driving inventory down, from optimizing sales strategies to determining marketing ROI, RSi helps cut costs and improve sales. For over thirteen years they have been a trusted, massive data and analytics partner with more than 225 retailers and over 500 CPG companies, including such household names as Colgate-Palmolive, Nestlé, the Procter & Gamble Company and Unilever.
We are extremely thrilled to have Jim come on board to lead the retail development efforts in the US. He has a stellar background and extensive industry knowledge that certainly goes hand in hand with our dedication to true customer success. Our goal is to elevate our retail relationships to the next level and Jim will do just that by making sure the retailers’ priorities are incorporated into all that we do.
Stuart Careford, Managing Director Europe and VP Global Customer Success, Retail Solutions
RSi is committed to customer success on every level. I am excited to take this commitment to the retail partners and explore how we can best maximize the value that we bring to the table. The retail arena is a changing environment and RSi is positioned well to help garner wins for these players.
Jim Smits, VP of US Retail Development, Retail Solutions
Jim brings a unique knowledge of the grocery retail industry to RSi that will help the company strengthen ties with customers and partners, along with improve RSi’s go-to-market approach in that sector. Jim is a high-integrity leader that will undoubtedly have a positive impact on RSi’s culture.
Michael Cunningham, Partner, Lonergan Partners