Big Y Foods Appoints Michael R. Cormier as Vice President of Center Store
SPRINGFIELD, MA - To be a top dog in grocery, you’ve got to have retail running through your veins. Big Y Foods’ newest executive is a prime example of this, having held various leadership roles in the industry. The company has appointed Michael R. Cormier to Vice President of Center Store. In his new role, Cormier will be responsible for all center store sales, retail pricing, and space management departments for the 70-store chain. He will report to Guy W. McFarlane, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Cormier has worked in the grocery business throughout New England and New York for over 23 years after working in both his family’s restaurant and construction businesses and also serving in the military. In 1996, he started full time on the grocery night crew at Price Chopper Supermarkets in Connecticut. One year later, he was promoted to Grocery Manager and then continued on to additional roles such as Assistant Store Manager and ultimately Store Manager. In 2001, he became Store Manager for Adams Hometown Markets in its West Hartford store before becoming Grocery Category Sales Manager and then Director of Retail Sales for its 35 markets.
Cormier then moved from retailer to wholesaler positions through his appointment as Grocery Category Sales Manager for Bozzuto’s Inc, serving retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. By 2008, he moved back to Price Chopper as a Grocery Department Category Sales Manager for the chain and continued on to other capacities such as Director of Center Store, Vice President of Own Brands, and in 2013, Vice President of Center Store. In 2016, he was appointed Senior Director of Customer Development for C&S Wholesale Grocers until his appointment at Big Y in 2019 as Senior Director of Center Store.
Cormier served in the United States Navy both here and abroad as a Hospital Corpsman and was honorably discharged in 1990. He is a member of the American Legion, and in 1998, he served as a selectman for the town of Sandisfield, MA. He has completed Cornell University’s Food Executive Program, attended the University of North Carolina, and is the recipient of several supermarket merchandising awards. He and his wife, Kiren, reside in Halfmoon, New York.
Congratulations to Michael R. Cormier on this exciting appointment!
