When Jason Potter was named president and chief executive at Grocery Outlet (GO) last month it triggered an almost immediate response from the company he left – The Fresh Market (TFM) – which within a day promoted chief operating officer Brian Johnson to the top job at the Greensboro, NC-based upscale retailer.
Potter, who joined TFM in March 2020 after a 26-year career at leading Canadian retailer Sobeys, now moves to the Emeryville, CA-based discount retailer replacing its former CEO RJ Sheedy who left the company in October. Potter has also been named a board director for the retailer whose nearly 520 stores are primarily independently owned.
In the Mid-Atlantic, where it entered in 2011 with the acquisition of 13 Amelia’s stores in Pennsylvania, GO now operates 54 units, many of which have opened in the past five years including as par of an expansion into Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.
“I could not be more excited to join Grocery Outlet,” Potter said. “With a clear mission of saving people money and a unique model that combines national buying power with local independent operators for the ultimate treasure hunt shopping experience, Grocery Outlet is a differentiated concept with a tremendous growth opportunity. I understand what it takes to lead and scale this business and look forward to working with the team and our local independent operators to reach Grocery Outlet’s full potential.”
Potter will succeed Eric J. Lindberg Jr., who has served as interim president and chief executive since Sheedy left five months ago.
“On behalf of the board, we are thrilled to have Jason lead Grocery Outlet’s next chapter of continued growth and success,” said Lindberg. “In addition to his deep experience in growing and scaling successful grocery models, Jason’s vision, values and hands-on leadership style align well with our goals and culture. His passion and drive will prove to be an excellent fit here at Grocery Outlet. I am confident Jason is going to be a fantastic leader with our team and independent operators, and I welcome him warmly to the Grocery Outlet family.”
When Potter resigned, The Fresh Market quickly named Johnson to replace him as president and CEO. He had joined TFM a few months after Potter was named CEO in March 2020 and in the past four years has helped oversee the expansion of TFM stores into new markets across the East Coast and Midwestern U.S. Previously, Johnson served as division VP at Brookshire Grocery Company based in Tyler, TX.
“I want to thank the board of directors and our team at The Fresh Market for putting their confidence in me. As a company we have a lot of momentum going into 2025, and I look forward to working alongside the team at The Fresh Market as we continue to grow, innovate, and create meaningful customer experiences. I also look forward to working with the board of directors as we chart our course to becoming America’s premier specialty fresh food retailer – or America’s most loved brand,” said the native Texan and Baylor University graduate.
Included in the senior leadership team reporting to Johnson are Revae Embs, group VP-human resources; Emily Turner, group VP and chief marketing officer; and Marcio Ribeiro, group VP and chief information officer, who have all joined the senior leadership team within the last year.
In 2022, Chilean grocery retailer Cencosud acquired 67 percent of TFM for $676 million. The company was founded by former 7-Eleven executive Ray Berry in 1982. It operates 173 stores in 22 states including 30 in the Mid-Atlantic region.
