Business
Trahan counts herself among the Market Basket customers reeling after the news of Arthur T. Demoulas’s firing.
U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan finds herself among the loyal Market Basket shoppers reeling after Wednesday’s news of CEO Arthur T. Demoulas’s ousting.
“For me, Market Basket has never been just a grocery store. It’s part of my DNA,” the Democrat wrote in an open letter to Market Basket board members who voted this week to remove Demoulas from atop the beloved local chain.
“Growing up in Lowell,” she continued, Market Basket “wasn’t just where we bought groceries — it was where life happened.”
Trahan waxed poetic about childhood trips to Market Basket, recalling the nostalgic taste of Chelmsford Golden Ginger Ale and the sense of community and work ethic on display in the grocer’s iconic white- and salmon-tiled aisles.
“Artie T., his children, and his executive team have always been the stewards of that experience,” she added.
Market Basket’s corporate shakeup followed a long-simmering feud between Demoulas and his sisters, who control a majority stake in the company. Demoulas had been on paid leave since May amid an investigation into allegations that he and his allies were orchestrating a work stoppage reminiscent of his 2014 grassroots movement to regain control of the company.
But a spokesperson for Demoulas alleged Wednesday that the board’s vote to remove him was “predetermined” and part of “a farcical cover up for a coup.”
Trahan urged the Market Basket board to “remember what this company means to the people who love it” and remember the generations of employees and customers who have stood by Arthur T.
“I don’t know what Market Basket will look like in the years ahead. But I hope it will still be the place where a kid can ride in the cart while their parents shop, trusting they’re getting the best prices — and feeling, even in that moment, that they’re part of something bigger,” Trahan wrote.
“Because Market Basket isn’t just a grocery chain,” she continued. “It’s a cornerstone of who we are.”
Read Trahan’s full letter to the Market Basket board:
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