10 years after ‘Summer of Market Basket,’ longtime workers praise customers for helping save company

TEWKSBURY, Mass. — Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of Arthur T. Demoulas’ triumphant comeback to lead the Tewksbury-based Market Basket supermarket chain.

In June 2014, Arthur T. was fired by a board controlled by Arthur S. Demoulas, his cousin and rival. After being sacked, store workers staged a walkout in support of Arthur T. that lasted six weeks.

To protest, hundreds of warehouse workers and drivers refused to deliver fresh produce, leaving shelves depleted. Not only did the workers stick together, but customers soon followed by boycotting the stores in solidarity.

Customers began to shop elsewhere because they couldn’t find fresh food at Market Basket, while others stayed away in a show of support for workers and Arthur T. The usually crowded stores turned into ghost towns, with only a trickle of customers coming in.

The Market Basket workforce showed fierce loyalty to Arthur T. because he was beloved for offering generous benefits including a profit-sharing plan. He also frequently stopped to talk to his workers, remembering birthdays, and attending funerals of employees’ relatives.

After weeks of pressure from suppliers suffering lost revenue, and the governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire getting involved in work negotiations, the company announced that an agreement had been reached for Arthur T. to pay $1.6 billion for the 50.5 percent share of the company owned by Arthur S. and other family members.

In memory of the milestone, Market Basket on Tuesday shared videos of longtime employees reflecting on the 2014 movement and praising the supermarket chain’s faithful customers for playing a crucial role in helping save the company.

“The significance of the 2014 movement is that it just goes to show you, if you take care of the customer, the customer will take care of you,” said Valerie Polito, Market Basket’s current director of advertising who has put in 34 years of service.

Linda Kulis, who was 44 years of service said, “The significance of the movement to me is was that Market Basket would be gone...If the customers didn’t join us in this so-called walkout, boycott, there would be no Market Basket. The customers were just wonderful. They helped us out immensely.”

“The support of the customers was everything to us. I don’t think we could have moved forward without them. Everyone was on Twitter talking about it, talking where rallies were going to be” said MJ Findeisen, who has 42 years of service under her belt. “I don’t think we could have done it without the support of the customers.”

Ron Lambert, a recently retired manager who worked with the company for 48 years, added, “We definitely owe all of this to our customers. If it wasn’t for them not showing up, we wouldn’t have pulled it off.”

“The power of a company lies within the people, whether it be the employees of the company or the customers that support the business,” said Steven Graham, a 20-year veteran of the company. “The customers’ effect on the movement was tremendous. Without the customers, honestly, the movement would have been impossible.”

Gary Hendrigan, who has 35 years of service driving trucks, said, “The customers are extremely important. When they started going across the street to Hannaford’s and leaving their receipts on the doors at Market Basket, that spoke volumes to all of us.”

In a statement posted on their website, Market Basket wrote, “Thank you to our valued customers. Your support and sacrifice throughout the summer of 2014 and your continued loyalty today will forever be appreciated by all Market Basket Associates.”

Since Arthur T. returned to his leadership role in 2014, Market Basket has grown from 71 stores to 90 locations across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island.

Sales are also up with revenue projected to hit $7.6 billion this year and nearly all of the $1.6 billion Arthur T. borrowed to buy out his cousin has been paid back, The Boston Globe reported.

Arthur T., now 69, continues to work as chief executive to keep the massive operation running smoothly.

Market Basket currently employs about 35,000 people.

Reporting from the Associated Press was included in this article.

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