PBM Products Hires Former Hershey Executive

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January 26, 2010

PBM Products LLC, which supplies store brand infant formulas to Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, CVS and Walgreens, hired Thomas K. Hernquist to lead its store brand marketing and innovations.

With more than 20 years of management experience with some of the world's leading brands -- including Hershey, Kraft, Nabisco and Frito-Lay -- Hernquist joined PBM as executive vice president of foods, liquids, and U.S. marketing.

"The growth of private label in the United States is staggering," said PBM CEO B. Paul Manning. "When a seasoned national-brand marketer like Tom switches gears to market store brand nutritional products, you know that a transformation is happening across the country."

Most recently, Hernquist served as senior vice president and global chief growth officer of the The Hershey Co. Previously Hernquist served as senior vice president of marketing for Nabisco, overseeing brands such as Oreo, Ritz, and Chips Ahoy!; senior vice president of global marketing for Jim Beam Brands; general manager for Entenmann's when it was a division of Kraft Foods, and various marketing positions with Frito-Lay Inc.

"The marketing landscape has certainly changed here in the U.S., with store brands taking away market share from established brands," said Hernquist. "That growth trajectory will only accelerate as virtually all retailers across the US have stated that building private brands is a strategic and financial priority.

Throughout his career Hernquist has launched billions of dollars of new products and has grown many iconic brands such as Doritos, Ruffles, Hershey's, Reese's, Oreo, Jim Beam, and LifeSavers, PMB said in a statement.

"Given the transparency afforded by the Internet and social media, the time is ripe to really drive consumer awareness that private brands can be of equivalent quality while delivering exceptional savings to the consumer," Hernquist said.

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