Dive Brief:
- Massachusetts-based Big Y Foods announced a series of leadership changes, including a new CEO, better positioning the family-owned company to support its strategic growth plans.
- Charles L. D’Amour has been appointed CEO and will continue his role as company president. His cousin and current chairman and CEO Donald H. D’Amour will transition out of his day-to-say responsibilities and become an advisor to the board. Donald and Charles are cousins and sons of the company’s two original founders, Paul and Gerald D’Amour.
- Other changes in the C-suite include: Michael P. D’Amour, Donald D'Amour's son, has added the COO title to his current responsibilities, which includes serving as executive vice president; Guy W. McFarlane, the chain's vice president of fresh foods since 2011, has been promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing; Richard D. Bossie, formerly director of store operations and a 30-year employee with Big Y, has been promoted to senior vice president of operations and customer service; and Nicole D’Amour Schneider has been named vice president of supermarket operations with a focus on the supermarket division.
Dive Insight:
Big Y is one of the largest family run supermarket chains in New England, and the changes at the executive level — including the company's first new CEO in nearly four decades — are happening in the midst of an ambitious expansion plan.
Big Y already operates 80 stores and employs about 11,000 people in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and plans to grow the chain to 150 stores over the next two decades. That's no small feat in a competitive region like the northeast, and considering most large chains have curbed store growth. A local favorite in the communities where it operates, Big Y clearly wants to go on the offensive rather than wait for other, wealthier chains to strengthen their positioning.
As part of this push, Big Y recently announced a $46 million expansion of its distribution center in Springfield, Massachusetts which will add 234,000 square feet of space. A $4.6 million tax incentive from the city will help fuel the expansion. Big Y is also remodeling stores to enhance its assortment of fresh and prepared foods. A location in Longmeadow, Massachusetts recently added 3,000 feet of selling space, building out a kosher deli, butcher and foodservice stations.
In addition, the chain is taking aim at sustainability as consumer awareness around the issue grows. Earlier this month, the company announced it will completely phase out plastic bags after a trial in six of its stores. Big Y will cease using plastic bags in all its stores by 2020, including its supermarkets, fuel locations, one Fresh Acres Market and one Table & Vine location. Big Y has also implemented recycling and composting programs, added electric car charging stations and converted some stores to LED lighting as part of its sustainability efforts.
New England continues to be a competitive market for grocers. Big brands like Stop & Shop, Target and Walmart all have a foothold in the region and are continuously adding perks like online ordering, same-day delivery, expanded prepared food options and mobile checkout options — not to mention lowering prices. Family owned stores like Big Y need to stay competitive as well, but they can do so by offering what large chains sometimes can’t – personalized service, local specialty products, and a commitment to community.
