Harps Food Stores has created a new artificial intelligence leadership role and named Will McDoniel as its first director of AI strategy and innovation,
This change shows how a regional grocer known more for rapid expansion than technology investment is beginning to formalise its approach to automation and digital tools.
According to a report by Grocery Dive, McDoniel’s remit will be to identify practical uses for AI across the business and to help the company adopt new capabilities more quickly.
The appointment comes as Harps broadens its store base at pace.
The company has agreed to buy 18 supermarkets from Dyer Foods, a deal that will take it into Tennessee and Kentucky for the first time and lift its estate to 177 locations across eight states.
McDoniel has spent his entire career with Harps, beginning part-time in 2014 while still at college.
After graduating in 2016, he entered the company’s management training program and later moved through a series of store and head-office roles, including grocery category analyst, meat and seafood category analyst and, most recently, meat and seafood category manager.
Harps said the new role is not only a first for McDoniel but also a sign that the company wants a more deliberate strategy around emerging technology.
The new executive post and the customer-facing pilot suggest Harps is starting to pair its expansion agenda with a more visible technology push.
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