SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Board of Directors of Big Y Foods, Inc. announced the appointment of Michael R. Cormier as Vice President of center store. 

 

In his new role as Vice President of center store for Big Y, Cormier is responsible for all center store sales, marketing and merchandising. This includes grocery, health and beauty care, pharmacy, general merchandise, frozen, dairy, retail pricing and space management departments for the 70-store chain. He reports 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. Before that, he worked 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 their West Hartford, Conn. store before becoming grocery category sales manager. He then became director of retail sales for their 35 markets. 

 

Cormier then moved from retail to wholesale through his appointment as grocery category sales manager for Bozzuto's Inc., a Connecticut based wholesale distributor serving retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

 

By 2008, Cormier 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 of Keene, N.H., the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S., 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.

 

In 1998, he served as a selectman for the town of Sandisfield. He has completed Cornell University's Food Executive Program, has attended the University of North Carolina and is the recipient of several supermarket merchandising awards. 

 

He and his wife, Kiren, reside in Halfmoon, N.Y.

 

Big Y Foods, Inc. is one of the largest independently-owned supermarket chains in New England. Big Y operates 82 locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut including 71 supermarkets, Fresh Acres Market, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors and 9 Big Y Express gas and convenience locations with almost 12,000 employees.