Tops taps Aaron Payne to lead marketing, promotional strategy

Tops Welcoming Marketplaces has promoted Aaron Payne to vice president of promoting and advertising technique for the Shared Solutions Center, which supports Tops and Price Chopper/Sector 32 subsequent the supermarket chains’ merger last fall.

In the new part, Payne will oversee a workforce responsible for devising and executing marketing technique and marketing designs for nearly 300 Tops, Selling price Chopper and Market 32 merchants in the Northeast. Tops and Value Chopper/Market 32 finalized their merger in early November to type Northeast Grocery Inc. (NGI).

Related: Frank Curci to switch retiring Scott Grimmett as CEO of Northeast Grocery

Williamsville, N.Y.-based mostly Tops mentioned that Payne (pictured remaining) will collaborate with leaders in internet marketing, merchandising, IT and the particular person running corporations to push initiatives aimed at boosting NGI’s all round current market placement.

Payne has spent 19 many years at Tops, most just lately as director of promoting, a part he has served in because January 2016. Beforehand, he held posts this sort of as supervisor of buyer marketing and shopper connection promoting expert.

Connected: Cost Chopper/Market place 32 and Tops Marketplaces finish merger

Tops has roughly 150 supermarkets in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, which include 5 operate by franchisees. General, NGI’s retail network spans about 280 stores — including about 130 underneath the Rate Chopper, Industry 32, Industry Bistro banners — in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In link with the merger, a dozen Tops stores had been marketed to C&S Wholesale Grocers in late 2021 to be converted into Grand Union merchants.

With the merger, Tops and Price tag Chopper/Sector 32 retained their manufacturers and regional administration. NGA is headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., alongside with Cost Chopper/Market place 32, when Tops continues to be in its Williamsville headquarters. Tops Marketplaces Chairman and CEO Frank Curci now serves as NGI’s CEO, succeeding Scott Grimmett, former president and CEO of Cost Chopper/Industry 32, who retired in February.