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INDIANAPOLIS — A new chief executive officer this week took the helm at Marsh Supermarkets Inc., according to published reports.
A new chief executive officer this week took the helm at Marsh Supermarkets Inc., according to published reports.
Former Price Chopper Supermarkets executive Joseph Kelley started at Indianapolis-based March as chairman, president and CEO on May 2, reports said.
Kelley succeeds Frank Lazaran, who announced his resignation a couple weeks ago due to family reasons, according to reports.
"I am honored by this opportunity to lead Marsh, a company that is clearly on the right path toward providing customers with the best grocery shopping experience possible," Kelley said in a statement. "That progress has been made possible by the hard work and dedication of a great group of people, the Marsh associates."
A grocery industry veteran, Kelley joins Marsh from Price Chopper Supermarkets, where he was executive vice president. Before that he held senior executive posts at A&P, Bozzuto’s Inc. and Adams Hometown Markets.
"Joe is an outstanding senior executive who brings 25 years of successful experience in supermarket sales, merchandising and marketing to his new role," stated Scott King, senior managing director of Sun Capital Partners, the retailer’s Boca Raton, Fla.-based parent. "We are delighted he has joined the Marsh team and look forward to his leadership and contributions to the company’s progress and continued focus on serving customers well."
Marsh operates 78 Marsh stores, three O’Malia’s Supermarkets and 16 MainStreet Markets in Indiana and Ohio, with 40 Indiana pharmacy locations. About half of the stores are in Indianapolis.
Early last fall, Sun Capital reportedly took Marsh off the selling block after being unable to find a buyer. The supermarket chain has been grappling with intense competition in its market area from bigger operators such as Kroger Co. and Walmart.
Sun Capital has trimmed Marsh’s workforce and operations (including store closures), sold off assets, cut debt, improved the product mix and remodeled most of the chain’s stores since acquiring the retailer in September 2006.
