The Fresh Market Inc. Board of Directors has appointed Jason Potter as CEO, replacing Larry Appel, who has resigned. Potter’s appointment was effective March 2.
Potter has more than 30 years of experience in the grocery industry, having spent the bulk of his career at Sobeys Inc., one of the largest food retailers in North America and a leader in perishables. During his 26-year tenure at Sobeys, Potter served in successively senior executive positions. Most recently, he served as EVP of operations, having previously served as president Sobeys West, Sobeys Atlantic and president of multi-format operations.
As EVP of operations, Potter had full leadership and profit and loss responsibility for the approximately 800 full service and community stores under the Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland and Thrifty banners. He earned his bachelor’s degree in management and his MBA at Athabasca University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.
Potter was named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 for Leadership. He also served as chairman of the board for GIFT Atlantic Canada and was a board member of the Coca-Cola Research Council.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I am very excited to welcome Jason to the team at The Fresh Market,” said Andrew S. Jhawar, chairman of the board at The Fresh Market and senior partner and head of the consumer and retail industry team at Apollo Global Management Inc. “Jason is a proven executive with significant experience and success in the world of grocery retailing and operational turnarounds. He has demonstrated an ability to drive revenue and profit growth through innovation as well as improved operations, merchandising and marketing, which are skills that make him the ideal candidate to lead The Fresh Market’s continued turnaround efforts.”
Potter stated, “I am thrilled to join The Fresh Market and look forward to working with all our team members in creating a highly differentiated specialty food retailing environment for our guests. Our goal will be to make The Fresh Market the go-to destination for customers looking for best-in-class perishables, unique itemization and high touch customer service, all provided in a convenient, clean and accessible store format. I look forward to being part of the company’s future success as we accelerate the overall mission for The Fresh Market. In addition, I look forward to working with the board of directors and alongside Apollo, which has a long track record of success in building value in consumer and retail businesses.”
Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, The Fresh Market currently operates 159 stores in 22 states across the U.S.
