TEWKSBURY, Mass. — Former Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas will not appeal a judge’s decision upholding his removal from the company.
In a statement released Tuesday, Demoulas announced that it’s in the best interest of himself, the company, and its customers to move forward without further legal action.
Despite that decision, Demoulas continues to maintain that his firing last year was unjust, alleging that he and his team were “unceremoniously tossed out of the company” by his “three sisters and their handpicked board members.”
“A year ago, Arthur T. Demoulas, his family, and his team were unceremoniously tossed out of the company that had been the life’s work of Arthur and his father before him. The removal was orchestrated by Arthur’s three sisters and their handpicked Board members. We told you at the time that this was a coup, and as it unfolded, people have now seen it was exactly that. The Delaware Chancery Court ruled on the narrow issue that was before it – that the Board had the authority to remove him. Mr.Demoulas disagrees vehemently with that decision," said Justine Griffin, a spokesperson for Demoulas. “But continuing to fight about the future of Market Basket in courts that overwhelmingly favor decisions made by a board of directors is not in the best interests of the company, the Associates, or the loyal customers. Mr. Demoulas has decided not to appeal the ruling. It is simply not the right forum to resolve the broader issues at stake. Mr. Demoulas will continue in his efforts to set right what has gone so wrong here.”
Demoulas was ousted from his role as CEO in 2025, following a long-running, high-profile dispute over control of the popular Tewksbury-based grocery chain. He had been suspended amid allegations that he had been considering leading a work stoppage.
Several other executives loyal to Demoulas were also fired, including Joseph Schmidt and Tom Gordon, who were both banned from setting foot on the grocery store chain’s property.
Schmidt and Gordon called their firings a “pre-planned coup” spearheaded by the Demoulas sisters, who are majority shareholders in Market Basket.
The three Demoulas sisters, Frances Kettenbach, Glorianne Demoulas Farnham, and Caren Demoulas Pasquale, later voted to oust longtime board member Bill Shea, their brother’s last remaining ally.
Demoulas’ firing came 10 years after he was fired by a board controlled by Arthur S. Demoulas, his cousin and rival. After being sacked, store workers staged a walkout in support of Arthur T. that lasted six weeks.
To protest, hundreds of warehouse workers and drivers refused to deliver fresh produce, leaving shelves depleted. Not only did the workers stick together, but customers soon followed by boycotting the stores in solidarity.
Customers began to shop elsewhere because they couldn’t find fresh food at Market Basket, while others stayed away in a show of support for workers and Arthur T. The usually crowded stores turned into ghost towns, with only a trickle of customers coming in.
After weeks of pressure from suppliers suffering from lost revenue and the governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire getting involved in labor negotiations, the company announced that an agreement had been reached for Arthur T. to pay $1.6 billion for the 50.5 percent share of the company owned by Arthur S. and other family members.
Market Basket operates more than 90 stores and employs tens of thousands of workers.
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