Independent Director Brings Extensive Natural Products and Healthy Lifestyle
Experience DAYVILLE, Conn., June 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United Natural Foods,
Inc. (Nasdaq: UNFI) (the "Company") today announced the appointment of Peter
Roy, age 51, to the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Roy joins United
Natural Foods as an independent director and brings over three decades of
experience in the natural products and healthy lifestyle industries. His
appointment, effective immediately, increases the total number of Company
directors to eight, including six independent directors.
Michael Funk, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are
very pleased to have Peter join our Board of Directors. Peter has a wealth of
experience and significant business relationships in the healthy lifestyles
industry and we look forward to his contributions as a member of United
Natural Foods' Board of Directors."
Peter Roy is an entrepreneur and since 1999 has been a strategic advisor
to North Castle Partners, a private equity fund focused exclusively on
investments in consumer-driven product and service businesses that benefit
from healthy living trends. As part of his advisory position, Mr. Roy served
on the boards of Avalon Natural Products, a leader in the natural personal
care products, and Naked Juice Company, a leader in the super premium juice
category. Additionally, Mr. Roy currently serves on the board of directors of
West Marine (Nasdaq: WMAR), the country's largest specialty retailer of
boating supplies and accessories, and Traditional Medicinals, Inc, a leader in
the manufacture and marketing of clinically tested herbal teas for the dietary
supplement market in the U.S. and the natural health product market in Canada.
Peter Roy began his career in the natural products business in 1975, when
he was employed at a Whole Food Company retail store in New Orleans, La. In
1978, he became President of Whole Food Company, which was acquired by Whole
Foods Market in 1988. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Roy served as President of Whole
Foods Market, Inc and, for five years prior to that, served as President of
that company's West Coast Region.
Mr. Roy recently co-authored a book with Jim Autry titled The Book of Hard
Choices: How to Make the Right Decisions at Work and Keep Your Self-Respect
and just completed a two year term as Chairman of the National Outdoor
Leadership School (NOLS), a non-profit wilderness education school. He
remains on the NOLS Board of Trustees.
About United Natural Foods
United Natural Foods, Inc. carries and distributes more than 40,000
products to more than 18,000 customers nationwide. The Company serves a wide
variety of retail formats including conventional supermarket chains, natural
product superstores, independent retail operators and the food service
channel. United Natural Foods, Inc. was ranked by Forbes in 2005 as one of
the "Best Managed Companies in America," ranked by Fortune in 2006 and 2007 as
one of its "Most Admired Companies," and ranked by Business Ethics as one of
its "100 Best Corporate Citizens for 2006."
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding the Company's business
that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve
risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties,
which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the
forward-looking statements, including but not limited to general business
conditions, the impact of competition and our dependence on principal
customers, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q
filed with the Commission on June 7, 2007, and its other filings under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any forward-looking statements
are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and,
as such, speak only as of the date made. The Company is not undertaking to
update any information in the foregoing reports until the effective date of
its future reports required by applicable laws. Any projections of future
results of operations should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee
that such results will in fact occur. These projections are subject to change
and could differ materially from final reported results. The Company may from
time to time update these publicly announced projections, but it is not
obligated to do so.
SOURCE United Natural Foods, Inc.
CONTACT: Mark Shamber, Chief Financial Officer, +1-860-779-2800; Joseph
Calabrese, General Information, FINANCIAL RELATIONS BOARD, +1-212-827-3772
(UNFI WMAR)