Sainsbury’s poaches Coca-Cola marketer

Sainsbury’s has appointed a Coca-Cola marketer to be its new brand guardian, overseeing advertising and the development of own-brand ranges.

Jeremy Schwartz, Coca-Cola innovation director for Europe and Eurasia, takes up his role as brand marketing director in November. He will report to assistant managing director Sara Weller.

The supermarket has been searching for a brand director since it made Andrew Ground health and beauty director in April, a move that was designed to strengthen the store’s non-food offering.

Schwartz, a former L’Oréal UK marketing director, will be responsible for Sainsbury’s overall brand marketing, including advertising, own-label strategy, brand identity and packaging design. In his new role, Schwartz will also have to devise ways of improving customer service and help to support new formats and Sainsbury’s concept store programme.

Weller says: “Schwartz’s extensive experience and, in particular his most recent work as innovation director at Coca-Cola, has ensured he has the neces

sary skills to accelerate the pace of our brand’s development. He will lead many key initiatives, including the development of our own-brand ranges, covering 11,000 lines, and the definition of our brand within non-food.”

Schwartz joined Coca-Cola in 1997 from L’Oréal as a divisional marketing director for North Western Europe and then moved to the same role for Western Europe. Prior to L’Oréal, he worked as group product manager at Kraft Jacobs Suchard.