The Pantry welcomes new senior vice president, chief merchandising officer.

The Pantry Inc. announced that Boris Zelmanovich is joining the executive leadership team as senior vice president and chief merchandising officer.

Zelmanovich joins The Pantry from Big Lots effective June 3 and will lead merchandising. He served as vice president of merchandising strategy at Big Lots, an international value store chain with 1,500 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Zelmanovich was responsible for the development of strategic merchandising plans and repositioning the merchandising portfolio to drive market differentiation.

Prior to Big Lots, Zelmanovich held various vice president positions in merchandising at Family Dollar where he was responsible for food, beverage, candy, general merchandise and household products categories. He has additional experience in supply chain management, management consulting and running his own business.

“Boris is a proven leader who possesses a depth of merchandising experience,” said The Pantry’s Chief Executive Officer Dennis Hatchell. “He has a track record of growing sales, gross margin and market share.”

Zelmanovich earned his bachelor’s of science degree in Logistics & Transportation / Marketing and his MBA in Supply Chain Management & Information Technology from the University of Tennessee.

The Pantry operates 1,567 stores in 13 states under select banners, including its primary operating banner Kangaroo Express.

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