Allegiance Retail Services Names Tomas Ramos Dir., New Member Dev.

Allegiance Retail Services LLC has hired Tomas Ramos as its director, new member development. In this role, Ramos will act as the key liaison between the Iselin, N.J.-based company and the retail grocery community in the New York metropolitan area, to recruit and tranisition new members to the Allegiance/Foodtown cooperative.

Ramos has worked for many years in the independent grocery community as a financial adviser, securing customized financing for small businesses to build, renovate or replace existing credit facilities. As managing director of TFR Services LLC, a company he founded, he helped facilitate more than $100 million in debt capital to 25-plus independent supermarket operators in the New York area since 2009.

Before establishing his own firm, Ramos worked for a number of "blue-chip" banks, securing and managing credit for independent grocers. Most notably, he generated more than $125 million in loans to more than 75 grocery store owners in his role as VP, community development group at JP Morgan Chase N.A.

"[Ramos] has an impressive record of success for many years, assisting the independent grocery sector in the tristate area," noted Allegiance President and COO Michael Stolarz.

Allegiance provides marketing, advertising, technological and merchandising support to such independent supermarkets as Foodtown, Freshtown, D'Agostino, LaBella Marketplace, Farmtastic, Big Deal Food Markets and Orchard Fine.