Allegiance Retail Services Officially Appoints Joe Fantozzi as President and COO

Grocery co-op Allegiance Retail Services, which tapped Joe Fantozzi as its interim president and COO in September, has made that a permanent move. Fantozzi will also take a seat on the Allegiance board of managers and the board of directors of the Foodtown banner.

He replaces John Derderian, who stepped down to a part-time advisory role. Before taking on the interim and, now, permanent leadership role, Fantozzi was the company’s VP and CFO.

“As communicated in August, I empaneled a sub-committee of the board of directors to conduct a search for a permanent replacement. After engaging a professional recruiting firm, and conducting multiple interviews and assessments, the sub-committee was unanimous in their recommendation that Mr. Fantozzi be appointed as the president and chief operating officer of Allegiance Retail Services, LLC and Foodtown, Inc., effective immediately,” said Chairman and CEO Louis Scaduto, Jr. “His many accomplishments at the cooperative to date, and his keen understanding of what is required to create a platform of success for the independent supermarket operator was of primary consideration.”

Fantozzi was on hand this week at a ribbon cutting of a new Foodtown store in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 

Iselin, N.J.-based Allegiance Retail Services supports independent supermarkets such as Foodtown, Freshtown, D’Agostino, Gristedes, Pathmark, LaBella Marketplace, Brooklyn Harvest, Market Fresh, Morton Williams, Big Deal Food Market, Green Way Markets, and Shop n Bag by providing them with marketing, advertising, technological and merchandising support, as well as a full line of private label products, including Foodtown, Green Way and Rancher’s Legend.