Grocery retailer Empire names Pierre St-Laurent as new CEO
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/11/2025 (349 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
STELLARTON – Grocery retailer Empire Co. Ltd. has named longtime company executive Pierre St-Laurent as its new CEO, effectively immediately.
St-Laurent, a 34-year veteran of the company, succeeds Michael Medline, who announced he would retire earlier this year.
“Pierre is a seasoned retail executive who has served as one of the key architects of our company’s success and our board is unanimous that he is the right choice to create long-term value for all of our stakeholders,” said James Dickson, chair of the board of Empire, in a release.
In 2019, St-Laurent was appointed executive vice-president and chief operating officer, overseeing the company’s merchandising, operations and supply chain functions across Canada.
St-Laurent will also serve as CEO of the company’s Sobeys subsidiary and on the Empire board of directors.
RBC analyst Irene Nattel said the appointment of St-Laurent should be no surprise and welcomed by Bay Street. The incoming chief executive has been critical to developing and implementing the transformation of Empire over the past eight years, she said in a note to analysts.
“In our view, St-Laurent is uniquely positioned to shepherd the organization through the remaining elements of the transformation, and to focus on the next stage of the company’s evolution, and is not unfamiliar to the investment community,” Nattel said.
“While Medline will be missed, we believe Empire is in solid hands with St-Laurent,” she added.
Medline is set to retire in May after nine years at the company. Under his leadership, Empire acquired the Farm Boy chain in 2018 and Longo’s in 2021, while also expanding its FreshCo discount banner into Western Canada.
Empire has more than 1,600 stores across the country under several banners, including Sobeys, Safeway, Thrifty Foods, IGA, Foodland and FreshCo.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2025.
Companies in this story: (TSX: EMP.A)
