SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Northeast Grocery, Inc. (NGI) — the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets — has appointed John Persons as chief operating officer (COO).
Persons has spent 39 years with Tops, most recently as the president of the grocery chain based in Williamsville, a Buffalo suburb. Persons will report directly to Frank Curci, CEO of Northeast Grocery.
As COO, Persons will oversee both the Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets operating companies, as well as the merchandising and marketing functions of Northeast Shared Services. That is an NGI subsidiary providing services to both operating companies.
With Persons’ promotion, Ron Ferri, a 34-year Tops veteran, will succeed Persons as Tops president, the Schenectady–based NGI said in its Thursday announcement.
Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets collectively operate nearly 300 supermarkets across New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire and employ more than 30,000 people.