Dive Brief:

• Northeast Grocery, Inc. (NGI), the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets, announced Monday the retirement of CEO Frank Curci.
• John Persons, NGI's chief operating officer, will step into the top role, effective Feb. 26.
• The leadership change marks the departure of Curci as Tops’ on-and-off CEO, who oversaw the grocer’s bankruptcy and subsequent merger with Price Chopper/Market 32.

Dive Insight:

The leadership change announcement noted that Persons’ appointment stems from Curci’s work at NGI to develop a team of “seasoned executives” across Tops, Price Chopper/Market 32 and Northeast Shared Services, a subsidiary of NGI that provides services to both operating companies.

Curci helmed Tops on two separate occasions, including an intense stint in the early 2000s that ended after Curci took responsibility for an accounting scandal. In 2007, Morgan Stanley Private Equity brought Curci back as Tops’ chief executive after it bought the company from Ahold.

In late 2013, Curci and six other Tops executives bought the chain from Morgan Stanley. Just over four years later, the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. 

NGI formed as a result of the merger of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets in 2021, with Curci assuming a board seat and Scott Grimmett serving as CEO.

Curci became NGI’s CEO in 2022 following Grimmett’s retirement. During his time as NGI’s CEO, Curci oversaw Price Chopper’s purchase of five former New York ShopRite stores and the launch of NGI’s retail media network.

After an internal and external search, NGI’s board of directors chose Persons as Curci’s successor, according to the announcement. 

Persons, who started as a cashier at Tops, brings more than four decades of experience at Tops to the top role. Persons rose his way through the grocer’s ranks and handled a variety of areas including operations, merchandising, sales and marketing, real estate, information technology, and organizational strategy. In 2015, Tops named Persons as its president as well as COO. 

In June 2023, NGI named Persons as its COO, having him oversee operations at both Price Chopper and Tops as well as the merchandising and marketing functions of Northeast Shared Services. The Monday announcement did not say who will fill Persons’ role as COO. 

“I'm delighted that John has been chosen to succeed me. He has been instrumental in our merger success to date, providing the necessary leadership over these past few years to position NGI for success. While John's strategic mindset is poised to lead our multifaceted business day to day, he also possesses great vision for our path forward," Curci said in a statement.