There’s been a change in the originally announced plans on who will lead the recently merged Price Chopper/Market 32 and Western New York-based Tops Markets. Frank Curci is in and Scott Grimmett is out.
When the deal was completed last November, Scott Grimmett, president and CEO of Schenectady-based Price Chopper/Market 32, was announced as the leader of the new parent company, called Northeast Grocery. The plan had been for Tops Markets Chairman and CEO Frank Curci to serve on the board of directors of Northeast, along with Grimmett.
But in a statement released Wednesday, the new company announced the upcoming retirement of Grimmett and said Curci will be its CEO.
After 10 years at Price Chopper/Market 32, Grimmett recently informed the Northeast board that he felt this was the right time for him to retire to spend more time with his family in Arizona and turn over leadership of the company. Grimmett will continue to work with Curci “to ensure a smooth leadership transition and provide consulting going forward in support of the merger integration process.”
The Northeast board said it is enthusiastic about Curci’s appointment as CEO and points to his 40-year career and leadership positions with multiple grocery organizations. Curci spent 14 years as the CEO of Tops, working with the supermarket chain after it separated from the Dutch company Ahold.
Curci said he is “excited about the future of this company” and said that with the now-combined footprint of nearly 300 stores, they are better positioned to leverage increased value for customers and advance opportunities for innovation.
The headquarters for Northeast Grocery will remain in Schenectady and Curci will work from those offices. The company said there are no other leadership changes.
As previously announced, Blaine Bringhurst serves as president of the Price Chopper/Market 32 business and John Persons as president of Tops Markets.
