Gelson’s Markets has a new leader.

The Encino-based supermarket chain has appointed Koichi Toyo as its president and chief executive. The leadership change comes following the departure of Ryan Adams, who had held the role since April 2024.

Toyo’s appointment marks the first time Gelson’s has drawn its chief executive from within Pan Pacific International Holdings since the Tokyo-based retail conglomerate acquired Gelson’s from TPG Capital in 2021.

The leadership transition from Adams to Toyo occurred at a consequential moment for Gelson’s. The company is in the early stages of rebuilding its Pacific Palisades store, which was destroyed in the January 2025 wildfires that burned through tens of thousands of acres, including homes and commercial structures.

At the same time, the 26-store chain has been experimenting with smaller-format stores, a convenience-market concept and discount-grocery partnerships to broaden its customer base beyond its traditional premium shoppers.

Toyo, who has been with Pan Pacific since 2003, serves as senior executive officer, head of Norther America business and president of Pan Pacific retail management in the U.S., the company site showed.

His role includes also overseeing operations and strategic growth initiatives for Gardena-based Marukai Corp. – one of a few U.S.-based grocers owned by Pan Pacific. 

Under his leadership, Marukai has expanded its Tokyo Central banner – a Japanese specialty grocery and lifestyle retailer – across California, according to Georgia-based food and grocery news publication The Shelby Report. That includes opening stores in Torrance in December 2024, Irvine in 2025 and a store at Bay Street Emeryville in early 2026, with plans to explore additional states.

Adam’s two-year tenure

Adams departs after roughly two years at the helm. He succeeded John Bagan, who began as president and chief executive in early 2023 and had been with the grocery chain for nearly eight years, according to the industry newsletter Grocery Dive. He first joined as chief merchandising officer. No reason was given for Bagan’s exit at the time.

During Adam’s two-year tenure, he faced a crisis and experimented with store formats.

The most visible incident was the Palisades Fire, which destroyed the company’s longtime store at 15424 Sunset Blvd. near La Cruz Drive, a location Gelson’s had operated for decades. In March, the grocer announced it would rebuild at the site, marking a significant step in the broader recovery of the neighborhood, which saw nearly 6,800 structures lost to the fires.

“Our Pacific Palisades store has been a part of the fabric of the community,” Adams said at the time of the announcement. “We will return in a way that reflects the resilience of the Palisades and our long-term investment there.”

Adams added that the store’s loss was deeply felt across the organization. A construction timeline has not been finalized, though the rebuilt store is expected to feature a modernized design while maintaining the chain’s offerings.

“We are focused on the long term,” Adams said at the time. “The same commitment to thoughtful growth and genuine community connection that guides our expansion across Southern California will guide our return to Pacific Palisades.”

Gelson’s playbook

That rebuild will now fall to Toyo to deliver – along with the rest of an expansion playbook Adams was charged with executing.

Gelson’s recently opened a smaller-format market in Toluca Lake as part of a mixed-use development, tailoring its store format to neighborhood demographics and shopping patterns.

The company has also moved to expand its product lines at its stores. Last fall, Gelson’s partnered with Toronto-based Flashfood Inc. to launch $9 fresh-produce boxes that shoppers could order and pick up at select locations, marking the mobile marketplace’s Los Angeles debut.

“L.A. was on our radar as this perfect market for Flashfood, and it’s proved nothing but that so far,” said Jordan Schenck, chief executive of Flashfood, earlier this month.

The initiative has indeed proven popular enough. Gelson’s expanded Flashfood’s discount grocery boxes to all of its locations this spring, with shoppers snagging more than 1,000 produce boxes – roughly 10,000 pounds of food – since November.

Gelson’s also operates in Orange County, Ventura County and San Diego County beyond L.A.

“We are encouraged by how quickly customers have responded to and embraced this program,” Rick Williams, Gelson’s chief merchandising and marketing officer, said in announcing the expansion. “And with California’s peak produce season upon us, the timing is right to expand Flashfood to all of our locations.”