BIG Y APPOINTS NEW MARKETING LEADER
SPRINGFIELD, MA — (April 28, 2020) Big Y Foods, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Steven as senior director, marketing. In this new capacity, Steven will oversee all aspects of marketing across the company’s brands of Big Y World Class Markets, Big Y Express Gas and Convenience, Fresh Acres specialty market and Table & Vine wines and spirits. As such, she will lead the marketing team to further develop the brand’s digital initiatives, including programming to support the launch of e- commerce. Her work on the brand will ensure that Big Y continues to grow its customer base within existing markets as it expands to new regions in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
“I am excited to dig in with the talented team at Big Y, to bring new concepts and ideas to the table, and to enrich the beloved Big Y brand with initiatives that will ensure its position as a leader in the competitive supermarket industry.” Like her predecessor, John Schnepp who has retired, she reports to Guy McFarlane, senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Throughout Steven’s marketing career, she has worked to support and develop global brands distributed through a variety of channels – supermarkets, department stores, boutiques and spas, as well as online through e-commerce. She started her career with Pepperidge Farm as an assistant marketing manager in 1998 working on their flagship Goldfish brand. She later moved to Godiva Chocolatier where she led the global re-launch of core product lines and was promoted to the position of business director, marketing, partnering with in-house stakeholders to drive promotions, develop advertising campaigns and media strategy. In 2008, Steven joined Iredale Mineral Cosmetics in 2010 as director, brand advocacy to focus on building brand awareness and brand equity for the growing company. She was promoted to vice president, marketing in 2012 and expanded her team to support growth initiatives and distribution expansion opportunities, as well as innovative digital-first initiatives including a Loyalty Program, eLearning curriculum, innovative social media and digital advertising strategies.
Steven holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from Duke University-Fuqua School of Business in Durham, North Carolina. She has received industry awards for her leadership such as the Campbell Soup Company CEO Extraordinary Performance, Godiva Chocolatier Proud Performance Awards as well as Godiva North America’s President’s Award. Steven lives in Sheffield, MA, with her two children.
About Big Y Foods Inc.
Big Y Foods, Inc. is one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England. Big Y operates 83 locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut including 71 supermarkets, Fresh Acres Market, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors and 10 Big Y Express gas and convenience locations with almost 12,000 employees. Big Y has been recognized by Forbes as a Best-in-State Employer in Massachusetts and Connecticut, as well as 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”.