Charles has over 25 years of experience in the consumer and retail sectors. Since 2012, he has been the Chief Financial Officer at Grocery Outlet Inc., a high-growth, extreme value retailer of quality, name-brand consumables and fresh products sold through a network of independently operated stores. Beginning in 2005, Charles held various finance roles at Bare Escentuals, Inc., one of the leading multi-channel cosmetic companies in the United States and an innovator in mineral-based cosmetics, serving as Chief Financial Officer from 2010 to 2012. Prior to that, Charles worked in finance roles at The Gymboree Corporation and Arnold Palmer Golf Management. He began his career in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York and San Francisco. Charles holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in the Napa Valley with his wife and three daughters.
In his tenure at Grocery Outlet, Charles has contributed to a number of significant strategic, operational, and financial accomplishments including:
- Store expansion from 184 to 380 units including successful entry into new geographies
- Consistent comparable store sales growth averaging 5% per year
- Sales increase from $1.2 to $3.1 Billion representing a 12% CAGR
- Strategic investment in corporate, distribution, and technology infrastructure to support future growth including a doubling of our headquarter and field team members
- Significant EBITDA growth from $85 to $225 million representing a 13% CAGR
- $1.1 Billion private equity transaction transferring majority ownership from Berkshire Partners to Hellman & Friedman
- Various leveraged financings in support of dividend recapitalizations and debt repricings
- Successful $435 million IPO which was 22x oversubscribed with the highest file-vs-offer price of all time for a US Discount Retailer IPO
- Execution of three follow-on offerings within 18 months of IPO, pricing each with +50% premiums to IPO price
- Support of Grocery Outlet mission of “Touching Lives for the Better” including operating as an essential retailer throughout COVID as well as reducing food insecurity through its annual “Independence from Hunger” campaign
