Former Ahold U.S. CEO Joins Anycart’s Board of Directors

Software technology company Anycart has welcomed James McCann as the newest addition to its board of directors. McCann is the chairman and CEO of Food Retail Ventures, which is an investor in several early-stage companies in the food retail space, and is also an investor in Anycart’s last two rounds.

In a recent survey, nearly one-fifth of shoppers said that delivery surcharges are one of the biggest challenges they face while shopping for groceries online. To bridge the gap between accessible and affordable shopping, Anycart launched its online grocery shopping engine last month. Consumers can search and shop any item from their local grocery stores on the platform without price markups, subscriptions or delivery fees.

“We are excited that James is joining our board, because his knowledge will be crucial in helping Anycart create real value for both consumers and our retail partners to continue our amazing growth,” said Rafael Sanches, co-founder and CEO of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Anycart.

Anycart currently partners with 13 national retailers, with a footprint covering 4,000 store locations in 3,400 cities nationwide, and plans to add more stores in 2021.  

“I am thrilled to be joining Anycart’s board of directors at such an important time for both the company and the e-grocery sector as a whole,” said McCann. “Anycart has done an outstanding job of building a unique grocery shopping engine that is both inspiring and affordable for consumers whilst being fully transparent with its retail partners.”

Prior to founding Boston-based Food Retail Ventures, McCann was the CEO of businesses in Europe and Asia for Tesco PLC, CEO of Carrefour’s French business, and latterly CEO of Ahold’s U.S. business, which he led through the 2016 merger with Delhaize America.

McCann also sits on the board of directors for other food tech companies, including Flashfood and Afresh.

Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, is the parent company for Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. companies, consisting of Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Co., Hannaford, and Stop & Shop, as well as e-grocer Peapod; Retail Business Services, a U.S. support services company providing services to the brands; and Peapod Digital Labs, its e-commerce engine. Operating more than 2,000 stores across 23 states, Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in the United States.