8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) June 2, 2025

Americold Realty Trust, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(678) 441-1400

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Item 5.02 — Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

Appointment of President and President, Americas

On June 2, 2025, Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (the “Company”) announced that, effective immediately, Robert S. Chambers, previously serving as President, Americas, will assume the newly created executive role of President, and M. Bryan Verbarendse, previously serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Americas, will succeed Mr. Chambers as President, Americas.

The information required by Item 5.02(c)(2) of Form 8-K for Messrs. Chambers and Verbarendse has been previously disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 27, 2025, and in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 7, 2025, and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7.01 — Regulation FD Disclosure

On June 2, 2025, the Company issued a press release relating to the announcement described in Item 5.02 and reaffirming its 2025 full-year financial guidance as set forth in the first quarter earnings release dated May 8, 2025. A copy of the press release is being furnished as Exhibit 99.1 pursuant to Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and the information included therein shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that Section, and shall not be or be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, or the Exchange Act, regardless of any general incorporate language in such filing.

Item 9.01 — Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: June 2, 2025

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Americold Elevates Proven Leaders to Drive Operational Excellence and Global Growth

ATLANTA, GA, June 2, 2025 – Americold, a global leader in temperature-controlled storage, logistics and facilities solutions, and value-added services, today announced a series of executive leadership appointments. These changes are part of the company’s ongoing strategy to enhance operational execution, deepen customer relationships, and unlock global growth opportunities.

Americold has created a new executive role, President, and appointed Rob Chambers to the position. In this capacity, Chambers – who has 12 years of progressive leadership experience at Americold – will oversee global operations for the company with increased P&L responsibility.

Chambers was appointed President, Americas, in January 2024, after serving as Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer since joining the Americold Executive Leadership Team in 2020. He has led the company’s global development organization and was previously Vice President of Commercial Finance, where he played a key role in shaping Americold’s commercial business rules and underwriting process. Outside of Americold, Chambers served as Chief Financial Officer of Saia, a publicly traded transportation logistics company, and held leadership roles at CEVA Logistics and KPMG.

Bryan Verbarendse, currently Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Americas, succeeds Chambers as President, Americas, leading business development and operations across North and South America.

Verbarendse joined Americold in August 2023. He brings over 31 years of experience in retail and wholesale grocery supply chain, having previously served as Senior Vice President of Distribution and Replenishment at Albertsons, as well as Group Vice President of Distribution and General Manager roles at Albertsons and SUPERVALU.

Richard Winnall, currently President, International, will assume oversight of the Global Commercial Committee and Operations Committee in close partnership with President, Americas. This will enable Americold to unlock global opportunities that will drive global harmonization of commercial and operational standards, ensuring consistent KPIs, scalable systems, and cross-regional customer growth.

Winnall was appointed President, International in January 2024, following his role as Chief Operating Officer, International. Since joining Americold in 2019, he has held leadership roles including Managing Director, International and Managing Director, Asia Pacific and Latin America. He brings deep executive experience from DHL Supply Chain and Linfox across Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.

“These appointments reflect our continued commitment to operational excellence and customer-centric growth across our global portfolio,” said George Chappelle, Chief Executive Officer of Americold. “Rob, Bryan, and Richard are proven leaders with deep institutional knowledge and a passion for delivering results. I am confident that this team – alongside our executive leadership team – will accelerate the execution of our strategy and unlock new opportunities across our global network.”

The company also reaffirmed its 2025 full-year financial guidance as set forth in the first quarter earnings release dated May 8, 2025.

About Americold Realty Trust, Inc.

Americold is a global leader in temperature-controlled logistics real estate and value-added services. Focused on the ownership, operation, acquisition, and development of temperature-controlled warehouses, Americold owns and/or operates 238 temperature-controlled warehouses, with approximately 1.4 billion refrigerated cubic feet of storage, in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America. Americold’s facilities are an integral component of the supply chain connecting food producers, processors, distributors, and retailers to consumers.

Contacts:

Americold Realty Trust, Inc.

Investor Relations

Telephone: 678-459-1959

Email: investor.relations@americold.com

Media Relations

Telephone: 762-821-9631

Email: mediarelations@americold.com