Giant Eagle has been a family run business for many decades, but the supermarket chain is changing course with the departure of longtime chief executive Laura Shapira Karet.
The O’Hara-based grocer has appointed Bill Artman as interim CEO to replace Shapira Karet, who has led the chain for 11 years.
Giant Eagle announced late Tuesday afternoon that the board determined to separate with Shapira Karet, “pursuant to her contract.” Spokesman Dick Roberts did not elaborate on the decision.
Laura Shapira Karet succeeded her father, David Shapira, as CEO of the privately held business in 2012. At the time, she said her goals were to expand beyond the company’s four-state footprint of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland it then served.
She first joined the business in 2000 as president of new ventures and formats and chief strategy officer. David Shapira led the grocery story chain starting in 1980. He succeeded his father, Saul, who led the company beginning in 1968.
Giant Eagle was founded by five families — Goldstein, Porter, Chait, Moravitz and Weizenbaum — in 1931. The first Giant Eagle supermarket opened on Brownsville Road in 1936.
On Tuesday, the company appointed current Lead Independent Director Bart Friedman as board chair. Friedman, who has served on the board for more than two years, will be the first chair in Giant Eagle’s history who is not a member of the Shapira family.
Artman most recently served as president of supermarkets, overseeing supply chain operations, retail innovation, real estate and construction, retail operations and culinary operations.
With the company for nearly 40 years, Artman has worked in various leadership roles, including as executive vice president and senior vice president of retail operations. He started he career at the supermarket chain bagging groceries as a customer service clerk.
“We are pleased to welcome Bill into this new role,” Friedman said in a press release. “Bill has been a valued member of the Giant Eagle team for nearly 40 years, and we are more than confident he is the right leader for the next phase of this storied company. His experiences throughout his career with Giant Eagle give him a deep understanding of the unique heritage of this business and position him well to drive toward future growth and continue in our proud tradition of commitment to serving our team members, customers, and communities.”
Artman said, “My main focus is and always has been continuing to support the great team at Giant Eagle, and delivering for our customers and the places where we live and work. Giant Eagle was built on a foundation of passion, hard work, innovation and competitive spirit and I’m proud to continue that legacy.”
Giant Eagle had annual revenue of $11.1 billion in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. It has about has more than 470 stores in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.
Before working for the family business, Shapira Karet served as marketing director for Sara Lee and brand manager for Procter & Gamble.
Shapira Karet is active in the community and holds leadership roles on several boards. In 2021, she was named as chair of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. She is the first woman to hold the position. She also is a board member for the Pittsburgh Foundation.
Stephanie Ritenbaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Stephanie at sritenbaugh@triblive.com.