Big Y in the News
Headquartered in Springfield, MA, Big Y is one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England. Proud to be family owned and operated, we operate almost 80 stores throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts with over 11,000 employees. Big Y has been named a 2015 Employer of Choice by the Employers Association of the Northeast. Founded in 1936 by brothers Paul and Gerald D'Amour, the store was named after an intersection in Chicopee, Massachusetts where two roads converge to form a "Y".
Big Y in the News contains excerpts from press releases that have been sent to local media.
Celebrates Supermarket Employee Day – February 22, 2021
SPRINGFIELD, MA [February 18, 2021] – On February 22, Big Y joins supermarkets and food manufacturers nationwide in celebrating the first-ever Supermarket Employee Day. FMI—The Food Industry Association, has proclaimed this new holiday to recognize employees at every level for the work they do feeding families and enriching lives.
With more than 40,000 individual stores that sell food and grocery items in the U.S. alone, supermarkets are the backbones of our communities. Millions of supermarket employees come to work daily to keep shelves stocked and to provide communities with essential services that help them survive and thrive.
“We are thrilled to join in this national celebration of Supermarket Employee Day in recognition of the critical role our teams provide to our communities everyday. Here at Big Y, we’ve been rewarding our employees with additional “thank you” pay since the beginning of the pandemic. Supermarket Employee Day is just one more way we can recognize and appreciate their efforts. I’m so proud of the efforts of each of our 12,000 employees for their dedication, resilience and care. We all appreciate their hard work and commitment” Charles L. D’Amour Big Y president and COO.
Despite supply chain disruptions or work-force reductions, supermarket employees have demonstrated trojan efforts to keep communities going. Supermarket employees have personified compassion and courage when communities have most needed to be encouraged.
“Supermarket employees have earned our gratitude and respect, which is why we are creating a holiday to celebrate them,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI. “The fact is they always have been frontline heroes during periods of crisis. In the face of natural disasters or global pandemics, these brave and dedicated individuals keep communities strong and moving forward.”
“On behalf of Big Y, we invite all residents of our community to stop in one of our stores on February 22 to congratulate and thank local supermarket heroes,” added D’Amour. “Better yet, honor your favorite heroes in your social media and use the hashtags, #SupermarketEmployeeDay and #SupermarketHeroes.”