WE ARE MARKET BASKET (the book)
The story
In 2014, the board of directors of a multi-billion dollar supermarket chain voted to fire the CEO.
What happened next may amaze you.
Thousands of employees (they call themselves associates), customers, and suppliers took to the streets to reinstate him. And in the end, the movement prevailed. After six weeks of struggle, CEO Arthur T. Demoulas returned to his office.
The New York Times called it "one of the strangest labor actions in American business history." In these pages you will find the personal stories of dozens of executives and frontline workers who laid their livelihood on the line. You will find first-hand accounts from suppliers who sacrificed potentially millions in sales to support the company and its CEO. You will read about customers who went to great lengths to avoid shopping at their favorite store.
Publisher's Weekly, in a starred review, calls “We Are Market Basket” "inspiring and drama-filled." It is a page-turner that chronicles the epic rise, fall, and redemption of this iconic and uniquely American company. It's as engaging as it is instructive.
Why it's important
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” says Daniel Korschun, one of the authors and an associate professor at Drexel University.
Although the protest and the company are unique, this story holds lessons for managers, consumers, employees, and scholars across the country.
The overarching lesson is that consumers, employees, and members of the community have much more influence on the direction of companies than they realize.”
The case will make you rethink who really owns a company and who it is meant to serve.
Above all, it offers powerful evidence of the benefits of responsible leadership.