Former Sobeys exec to head up The Fresh Market

Jason Potter is stepping into the chief executive officer role at The Fresh Market, replacing Larry Appel who resigned after two and a half years with the American chain of gourmet supermarkets.

Potter brings with him more than 30 years industry experience, the majority of which (26 years) he spent with Canadian food retailer Sobeys Inc.

He most recently served as executive vice-president of operations at Sobeys, and in this position, Potter was responsible for approximately 800 Full Service and Community stores under the Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland and Thrifty banners. Before this, Potter was president Sobeys West, Sobeys Atlantic and president of Multi-Format Operations.

"Jason is a proven executive with significant experience and success in the world of grocery retailing and operational turnarounds," said Andrew S. Jhawar, chairman of the board at The Fresh Market and senior partner and head of the consumer & retail industry team at Apollo Global Management, in a press release.

"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," Jhawar added.