TEWKSBURY – Market Basket owner Arthur T. Demoulas is thanking his employees with surprise bonuses 10 years after unprecedented protests and strikes.
In the summer of 2014, thousands of employees of the New England supermarket chain gathered to show their support for “Artie T.” The popular executive was dismissed by the board of Market Basket in a family feud involving his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas.
The shelves emptied and customers boycotted Market Basket to show their support for the ousted CEO. And after weeks of protests, Demoulas buy the company directly for nearly $1.6 billion.
AP photo
Bonus Checks for Market Basket Employees
Now Demoulas is rewarding the loyalty and hard work of Market Basket employees with bonuses.
“The hallmark of our company is that people care for each other with dignity and respect,” Demoulas wrote in a thank-you note to employees. “As we reflect on a decade ago and the extraordinary events of 2014, it was our customers, employees and business partners who worked together to protect our company’s culture.”
In 2014, Market Basket employees were also surprised when they Christmas bonuses despite the summer closure.
“It’s really a great place to work,” one grateful employee told WBZ-TV at the time.
Arthur T. Demoulas’ Thank You Letter to Employees
Read below the message from CEO Arthur T. Demoulas to his employees:
Dear colleague,
As summer draws to a close and Labor Day approaches, I want to thank each of you for rising to the daily challenges of our business and raising the bar to make our team and company better.
By consistently focusing on and adhering to the meaning of our long-standing tagline “More for your money” (quality products – fresh, perishable products – variety – fair prices – clean stores – with genuine, old-fashioned service), which has earned the trust and loyalty of our 2.5 million customers per week and continues to grow, we continue our upward trajectory.
The hallmark of our company is that people care for each other with dignity and respect. As we look back over a decade and the extraordinary events of 2014, it was our customers, employees and business partners who together protected the culture of our company.
As stated upon our return on August 28, 2014: “In this organization, here at Market Basket, everyone is special. You have demonstrated that everyone here has a purpose. You have demonstrated that everyone has significance. And no one is better or more important than anyone else. And no one is in a privileged position. Whether it is a full-timer or a part-timer, or a packer or a cashier, or a grocery clerk, or a truck driver, or a stock selector, a store manager, a supervisor, a customer, a supplier or a CEO, we are all equal. We are all equal and by working together and only together do we succeed.”
As a token of appreciation for all you do, I would like to receive a bonus check that you earn every day.
I wish you and your family good health and much success.
Honestly,
Arthur T. Demoulas.
Demoulas Supermarkets Inc.
