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Private investor buys Fiesta; Byars named CEO

Houston-based Hispanic grocery chain Fiesta Mart has been acquired from its family owners by Acon Investments, officials said Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

April 29, 2015

2 Min Read
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Houston-based Hispanic grocery chain Fiesta Mart has been acquired from its family owners by Acon Investments, officials said Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Michael Byars

Michael Byars, the former CEO of Bi-Lo and Minyard Food Stores, has been appointed CEO of the 60-store chain. He is succeeding longtime CEO Louis Katopodis, who is retiring.

C&S Wholesale Grocers, which acquired Fiesta supplier Grocers Supply last year, will continue to supply Fiesta Mart stores. Acon is a Washington-based private investor whose other investments include the Mexican discount chain Waldo’s and Carulla, one of the largest supermarket chains in Colombia.

"We are excited to be partnering with Mike and the entire Fiesta team," Ken Brotman, a founding partner of Acon, said in a statement. "Fiesta has established itself as a leading international and Hispanic grocery operator in the United States, and we look forward to building value in a business that is very well positioned for continued growth.”

Byars most recently served as CEO of Bi-Lo, where he led an effort to reinvigorate the brand through neighborhood merchandising and a strong promotional program.

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"I sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence placed in me by Acon. I look forward to working with the company's employees to further strengthen Fiesta's position and growth in the markets it serves," Byars said. “I would like to thank Louis Katopodis and his team for positioning Fiesta as a market leader in the areas we serve.”

Fiesta Mart operates stores under the Fiesta Mart and Carnival banners in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin markets and the Fiesta Fresh Market in Conroe, Texas. The Carnival stores formerly belonged to Texas-based Minyard, which employed Byars as its CEO prior to his joining Bi-Lo. Byars previously spent 19 years with Delhaize Group.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Fiesta Mart had been acquired by C&S Wholesale Grocers last year. Fiesta Mart remained with its family owners while C&S acquired its parent company, Grocers Supply Co. 

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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