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Fairway's Glickberg to retire

Howard Glickberg, the longtime CEO of Fairway Market whose grandfather founded the business, is retiring from owner Fairway Group Holdings effective immediately, the company said Monday.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

December 8, 2014

2 Min Read
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Howard Glickberg, the longtime CEO of Fairway Market whose grandfather founded the New York business, is retiring effective immediately, Fairway Group Holdings said Monday.

Glickberg, who most recently served as vice chair of real estate development for Fairway, will remain a member of the retailer’s board of directors, Fairway said. He worked with the company for more than 40 years, serving as its CEO until 2011.

"Howie has been indefatigable and indispensable to Fairway's growth over the past four decades," Jack Murphy, CEO, said in a statement. "It was his vision to bring together the corner butcher, bakery, cheese monger, fish market, and farmer's market all under one roof, and add in an unparalleled selection of traditional, specialty and organic groceries at the best prices. All this has brought Fairway iconic status and enabled the company to truly earn the moniker ‘Like No Other Market.’"

Glickberg, who began unofficially "working" at Fairway as a child when he would accompany his father to the original 74th Street location and then officially while a college student, said it was simply time to step down.

"I've dedicated the past 40 years of my life to building the world's greatest food store," said Glickberg, 67. "It's been my life's work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the past when I would take a little vacation, I would somehow wind up visiting a supermarket. And if I saw an apple out of place I would fix it. So I've never traveled anywhere without Fairway on my mind."

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Glickberg began his full-time involvement with Fairway Market in 1974 — six years after he graduated from C.W. Post College and after a stint as a stockbroker and a part-time staff member at a fish market. In 1975, to build the company, he partnered with David Sneddon and Harold Seybert, and began adding specialty items, expanding the space and emphasizing fresh fruit and vegetables that is at the core of all Fairway Markets.

Eventually expanding to 15 units, Fairway was noted for operating some of the most productive grocery stores in the country in terms of sales per square foot.

 

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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