John Persons, who’s played a key role in getting Tops Markets through the devastating May 14 mass shooting that occurred last year at the company’s Jefferson Avenue location, has been named chief operating officer for Northeast Grocery Inc.
The move brings a shift to the top leadership at the Williamsville-headquartered grocery chain.
The now-former Tops president will oversee both Tops Markets and Price Chopper/Market 32 and other operating companies of Northeast Shared Services – a subsidiary of NGI providing services to both operating companies.
He’ll also handle merchandising and marketing functions for Schenectady-headquartered Northeast Grocery, the parent company of Tops Friendly Markets and Price Chopper/Market 32. Northeast Grocery operates nearly 300 supermarkets across New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire and employs more than 30,000 associates/teammates.
Meanwhile, Ron Ferri has been promoted to president at Tops. He has served as executive vice president of operations and distribution at Tops since 2016 and has been with the company for 34 years.
Mike Patti has been promoted to succeed Ferri after serving as regional vice president for Tops’ West Region stores, while Jim Gibson will succeed Patti. He and John McCaffrey, the regional vice president for Tops’ East Region, will report to Patti.
“I’m excited to continue building the company in this new role, working collaboratively with the talented teams at Tops and Price Chopper/Market 32 to help our combined businesses meet the grocery needs of the communities we serve,” Persons said. “Among the tremendous workforce we’ve developed at Tops, Ron Ferri stands out as someone who understands our communities and cares deeply for our customers. Ron is well-prepared to lead Tops forward.”
Persons, of Clarence, has spent 39 years with Tops. He’s handled operations, merchandising, sales and marketing, real…
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