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A new CEO has been named for Outfox Hospitality, the holding company resulting from recent merger of two fast-growing, venture capital-backed Chicago food brands: Foxtrot Market and Dom's Kitchen & Market, the upscale grocery concept from the former CEO of Milwaukee-based Roundy's Supermarkets Inc. Bob Mariano.
Rob Twyman, a Whole Foods Market veteran, will take over all day-to-day operations for the company.
The Foxtrot Market and Dom's Kitchen & Market merger was first announced in November 2023 with Liz Williams, who was named CEO of Foxtrot last April, leading day-to-day operations in a deal that was expected to continue the expansion of both brands. Dom's now has two locations with a third in the works, while Foxtrot has 15 locations.
Both brands are backed by venture capital. Foxtrot raised $100 million in 2022 while Dom's has raised nearly $50 million to date, according to Crunchbase.
While Williams declined to share specifics on the deal with Chicago Inno when it was announced, she said she expected plans to open a third Dom's location in River North and to open 50 Foxtrot corner stores by the end of 2024 to continue, though the timelines of those openings may need adjusting.
Williams will now exit the CEO role.
Twyman comes to Outfox with more than three decades of experience in both the retail and whole-food industry after spending 27 years in leadership roles at Whole Foods. Most recently, Twyman served as CEO of Daily Table, a nonprofit grocery chain, and has been consulting for early-stage consumer packaged goods companies.
Jay Owen and Mariano, co-founders and co-chairmen of Dom’s, and Mike LaVitola, co-founder of Foxtrot, will continue to hold adviser and board roles within the organization. Mariano was formerly chairman and CEO of Milwaukee-based Pick 'n Save operator Roundy's Supermarkets through its acquisition by Kroger Co. in 2015. He continued as CEO of Kroger’s Roundy’s division, which includes Pick ’n Save and Metro Market stores in Wisconsin and the Mariano’s chain in Chicago, until retiring from Roundy's in 2016.
Twyman will oversee both Dom's and Foxtrot's continued growth within Chicago and their other current markets such as Austin, Dallas and Washington, D.C., as well as expansion into new markets.