EASTHAMPTON — The owner of Big E’s Foodland, the family-owned supermarket at 11 Union St. that opened in July 1977, is working toward selling the store to another family that plans to keep it running as Big E’s.
“Big E’s will not close for a single day and it will remain Big E’s with the new owners,” Judi Corbeil-LeBel said in an email Friday. She said there is no date yet for the transition.
Employees received layoff notices in letters from Corbeil-LeBel sent Tuesday. The letters say the store is likely to remain a grocery and that workers could be kept on by the new owners, but their employment under the current ownership will end.
“Big E’s has been much more than a business to me,” wrote Corbeil-LeBel, 68, who has owned the business since 1996. “It represents decades of hard work, family history and relationships with the people who have helped make it what it is today.”
In a message posted to the store’s Facebook page, Corbeil-LeBel said the buyers intend “to continue operating Big E’s as the local, independent, community-centered supermarket you have known and supported for so many years.”
“My hope is that Big E’s will continue to serve this community for many years to come,” she wrote.
The decision was prompted, in part, by wanting to retire.
“Making the decision to sell the business has been extremely difficult. However, in light of
declining market conditions and the increasing administrative burdens facing independent
supermarkets in recent years, I have reached the point where I feel it is time for me to retire and move on to the next chapter of my life,” she wrote.
There was a need to provide at least 60 days’ advance notice to employees prior to the transition, she said.
“I recognize that this news is emotional for our employees, our customers, and our entire
community,” Corbeil-LeBel wrote. “I care deeply about the people who work here and the customers who have supported us throughout the years.”
Big E’s came to life when Edward Corbeil of South Hadley, a former Big Y Supermarket executive, acquired the existing Ed’s Foodland business. He ran Big E’s until Corbeil-LeBel and Michael Superson took over ownership 30 years ago.
The letter details the benefits employees will receive upon the change to new ownership, including a final paycheck and receipt of earned and unused vacation time and paid time off.
In 1986, the store expanded with a 3,000-square-foot addition and in 1997 there was another 3,500-square-foot addition, but even those additions have meant the 18,000-square-foot store remains smaller than larger grocery stores. Over the years, upward of around 100 people at a time have worked at Big E’s, many who are high-school age.
Aside from Big E’s, the nearest grocery store for many Easthampton residents is either Big Y Supermarket on College Highway in Southampton, or in the city the River Valley Coop on Northampton Street.
