A week after his ousting, the former CEO of Market Basket released his first statement following the firing of three of his allies within the company.
Paul Quigley, Adam Deschene and Esteban Alvarez were all terminated from their roles, which included Quigley as a Regional District Supervisor for 44 years and both Alvarez and Deschene in the Operations Department for 30 years and 19 years, respectively.
“These firings are alarming in that they continue to break down the fabric of Market Basket … [they] are disheartening and a major loss for the Market Basket team,” the statement from Arthur T. Demoulas read.
Quigley “played a central role in the development of all stores on the South Shore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island,” Demoulas said, while Alvarez and Deschene devoted years to the company, “each holding a stellar track record” in their department.
They “each dedicated their professional lives to Market Basket,” Demoulas said. “They are talented grocery store operators who are tremendous contributors to Market Basket’s success and to its culture. They are well respected and admired colleagues.
Less than a week after Demoulas’ firing, Market Basket’s board of directors named the grocery store chain’s chief financial officer as its interim chief executive officer, Donald Mulligan.
Mulligan’s appointment as interim CEO comes after the board formally removed Demoulas on Sept. 10, several months after placing him on leave over claims he was planning to lead a work stoppage.
In a statement after his firing, a spokesperson for Demoulas said it was “crystal clear [the board] had no intention of reinstating [him].”
“The Board’s actions are a farcical cover-up for a coup,” the spokesperson, Justine Griffin, said. “The so-called investigation was designed from the start to falsely tarnish the reputation of Mr. Demoulas and his leadership team.”
Demoulas and his sisters bought all of the other family members out of the company after his cousin, named Arthur S. Demoulas, took over the company in 2014. That takeover and subsequent buyout was prompted by Arthur T. Demoulas’ firing that year, which led to two months of protests by Market Basket employees.
Demoulas and other company executives had been placed on leave in May, when the board accused them of preparing to lead a work stoppage and launched an investigation. Shortly after his suspension, Demoulas denied the board’s claims, calling it a facade for a “hostile takeover” of the grocery store chain.
The three allies recently fired this past week were also planning to participate in the stoppage, according to reports from The Boston Globe.