SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Northeast Grocery, Inc. (NGI) — the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets — on Wednesday said it has named Frank Curci as the company’s new CEO.
Curci is the former chairman and CEO of Tops Markets. He’ll succeed Scott Grimmett who will retire in February and conclude a 48-year career in the retail grocery industry.
Grimmett will be working with Curci to ensure a smooth leadership transition and provide consulting going forward in support of the merger integration process.
Tops Markets and Price Chopper/Market 32 completed their merger deal back on Nov. 8.
Curci, who is also an NGI board member, worked together with Grimmett during the merger process and is “intimately familiar” with the plans in place to move the company forward.
“I’m excited about the future of this company and implementing the plans Scott and I have put in place,” Curci said. “With our now-combined footprint of nearly 300 stores, we are better positioned to leverage increased value for customers; advance shared opportunities for innovation; and fortify the depth of our expanded workforce, community, and trade partnerships, making us stronger and more competitive.”
The NGI board is enthusiastic about Curci’s appointment as CEO, the firm noted.
Curci’s 40-year career has included a “thorough and diverse” set of C-suite leadership positions with multiple retail-grocery organizations.
Curci spent 14 years as the CEO of Tops, “building the organization from the ground up” after it separated away from Ahold.
He has also led many “critical, strategic” initiatives that grew the Tops business, including the acquisition of 79 Penn Traffic stores in 2010 and purchase of 21 Grand Union stores in in 2012.
NGI’s headquarters remain in Schenectady and Curci will work from those offices. The firm said it has no additional executive-leadership changes.
As previously announced, Blaine Bringhurst serves as president of the Price Chopper/Market 32 business and John Persons as president of the Tops Markets business. Dave Langless, formerly the chief financial officer of Tops, serves as NGI’s CFO, per the release.
About Grimmett
After 10 years at Price Chopper/Market 32, Grimmett recently informed the NGI board that he felt this was the right time for him to retire. He spent “several” of those 10 years working diligently on the merger between Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets and then “putting in place the people and processes to ensure the new company’s success during its first year,” the company said.
“We have been extraordinarily fortunate to have Scott Grimmett lead us through the merger process and develop the strategies and plans to move the company forward,” Jerry Golub, co-chair of the NGI board of directors, said. “First at Price Chopper/Market 32 and most recently at NGI, Scott has shown exceptional leadership qualities and vision. We wish him the best as he retires.”