Big Y
Big Y is a family-owned regional supermarket chain serving Massachusetts and Connecticut. American food company operating supermarket chains.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
Big Y is a family-owned American supermarket chain headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. Its principal operating territory covers Massachusetts and Connecticut, with stores concentrated around Springfield, Worcester, Greater Boston, the Berkshires, and the Hartford metropolitan area. The business trades primarily as Big Y World Class Market or Big Y Supermarket and is one of the largest independently owned supermarket operators in New England. The company traces its origins to 1936, when Paul D'Amour and members of his family purchased the Y Cash Market in the Willimansett section of Chicopee, Massachusetts. The original store was associated with a local intersection shaped like the letter Y, providing the basis for the company's name. Big Y developed gradually from that neighborhood operation into a multi-format food retailer while retaining family ownership and a regional focus. Its core stores sell groceries, fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery goods, prepared foods, dairy products, frozen foods, household supplies, and other everyday necessities. Many locations include pharmacies and fuel facilities. The company also operates specialty and convenience formats, including Table & Vine, a wine and liquor retailer in West Springfield, Big Y Express Fresh Market in downtown Springfield, and Big Y Express gas stations and convenience stores. The company’s emphasis is on full-service supermarkets tailored to local communities rather than on rapid national expansion. Big Y has expanded both organically and through selected acquisitions. In 2010 it acquired seven former A&P stores in central Connecticut, renovating several and reopening them under the Big Y World Class Market banner. In 2016 it acquired eight former Hannaford locations in Massachusetts as part of the store divestitures connected with the Ahold–Delhaize merger. That transaction extended Big Y’s reach farther toward Greater Boston and increased its Massachusetts store base to 37 at the time. The company generally concentrates new stores within a practical radius of its Springfield headquarters, allowing it to support distribution, operations, and customer service across a compact regional network. It has nevertheless continued to broaden its footprint through new stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts, including locations in Shelton, Milford, Derby, Middletown, and other communities. It also took over leases for three never-opened Amazon Fresh sites in Connecticut and Massachusetts after Amazon abandoned those expansion plans. As of September 2023, the company operated 73 supermarkets; reference material reports further expansion to 79 locations by June 2026. Big Y remains privately held and is currently run by cousins Charles and Michael D'Amour. Big Y Foods Inc. is the operating company of Big Y supermarkets, headquartered in Massachusetts, USA, and is a private company.
History
Big Y began in 1936 when Paul D'Amour, assisted by his brother Gerald and sisters Ann Marie, Yvette, and Gertrude, purchased the Y Cash Market in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The business was located in the Willimansett neighborhood near the intersection of Chicopee and Meadow Streets. The family used the name associated with the intersection as the foundation for the company identity. The early operation was a local cash market, but it established the family ownership and community orientation that continued as Big Y expanded. Over subsequent decades, Big Y developed into a supermarket operator serving communities across western and central Massachusetts and Connecticut. Rather than pursuing nationwide growth, the company concentrated on a compact New England territory. This strategy enabled it to build recognition in its home region while keeping stores, distribution, and management relatively close to its Springfield headquarters. The principal supermarket banner became Big Y World Class Market, although stores are also referred to as Big Y Supermarkets. Big Y’s growth has combined new construction, store conversions, and acquisitions. In late 2010, the company purchased seven stores from A&P as A&P withdrew from central Connecticut. Four of the acquired sites—in Branford, Mystic, Old Lyme, and West Hartford—were renovated and reopened as Big Y World Class Markets. The company also expanded organically in Massachusetts. A Lee store opened in November 2011, followed by a Franklin store in August 2012. Proposed stores in Foxborough and Holyoke were ultimately withdrawn, and an earlier Milford, Massachusetts, plan did not proceed in its original form. A major expansion occurred in 2016, when Big Y agreed to acquire eight former Hannaford stores in Massachusetts. The transaction formed part of the divestiture process required for regulatory clearance of the Ahold and Delhaize merger. The acquired locations were in Kingston, Quincy, Norwell, Milford, Norwood, West Peabody, Saugus, and Easton. Their conversion extended Big Y from the Berkshires toward Greater Boston and brought its Massachusetts store count to 37 at that point. The company continued adding Connecticut locations, including Shelton in 2016 and Milford and Derby in 2019. It also broadened its formats. In addition to full-size supermarkets, Big Y operates Table & Vine, a specialty wine and liquor store in West Springfield, and Big Y Express Fresh Market, a smaller urban market in downtown Springfield. Between 2013 and 2023, it opened 16 Big Y Express fuel and convenience locations in western Massachusetts and Connecticut, generally adjacent to or near full-size supermarkets. Former standalone pharmacies in Springfield and Wilbraham were eventually folded into pharmacies located inside nearby supermarkets. In 2022 Big Y announced plans for Uxbridge and Pembroke. The Uxbridge store opened in October 2025, while the Pembroke project was delayed by zoning issues. In January 2024, Big Y announced that it had taken over leases for three Amazon Fresh locations that had never opened after Amazon reversed its Massachusetts and Connecticut expansion plans. Brookfield opened in spring 2024, Westport in fall 2024, and Westborough in summer 2025. Big Y also opened a newly built Middletown, Connecticut, store in June 2024. Reference material reports that Big Y operated 73 supermarkets as of September 2023 and 79 locations by June 2026. In January 2026 it announced planned locations in Pembroke, Saugus, Fairhaven, and Dartmouth, with the first two cited for September 2026 and the latter two for spring 2027. Big Y remains a private, family-owned business. Its current leadership is identified as cousins Charles and Michael D'Amour. Its principal competitive pressures come from other New England supermarket chains, particularly Stop & Shop, along with Shaw's and Price Chopper in parts of its territory.
- 2025
Uxbridge and Westborough expansion milestones
[1]The Uxbridge store opened in October, while the Westborough site opened during summer 2025 according to the reference material.
- 2024
Amazon Fresh sites are repurposed for Big Y expansion
[1]Big Y took over leases for three never-opened Amazon Fresh sites in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
- 2019
Milford and Derby stores open in Connecticut
[1]The company opened two Connecticut stores on November 7.
- 2016
Eight Hannaford stores are acquired
[1]Big Y acquired eight Massachusetts stores divested during the Ahold–Delhaize merger process.
- 2012
Franklin, Massachusetts, store opens
[1]A new Franklin store expanded Big Y’s Greater Boston-area presence at the time.
- 2011
Lee, Massachusetts, store opens
[1]Big Y opened a new store in Lee, strengthening its presence in the Berkshires.
- 2010
Big Y acquires seven former A&P stores
[1]The company purchased seven stores from A&P as the latter withdrew from central Connecticut; several were renovated and relaunched under the Big Y banner.
- 1936
Y Cash Market is acquired in Chicopee
[1]Paul D'Amour and members of his family acquired the Y Cash Market in Willimansett, Chicopee, Massachusetts, establishing the predecessor of Big Y.
Products and positioning
Family-owned regional supermarket offering full-service grocery shopping and complementary specialty, pharmacy, fuel, and convenience formats in Southern New England.
Full-service supermarket
Big Y World Class Market
Big Y’s principal supermarket format combines conventional grocery departments with fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery, deli, prepared foods, dairy, frozen products, household merchandise, and commonly pharmacy services. The format is designed for weekly shopping and emphasizes a broad assortment within the company’s regional New England footprint.
Specialty wine and liquor retailer
Table & Vine
Table & Vine is Big Y’s specialty beverage operation in West Springfield, Massachusetts. It focuses on wine, spirits, beer, and related specialty products, complementing the grocery chain with a larger-format alcohol retail concept.
Urban food market
Big Y Express Fresh Market
Big Y Express Fresh Market is a smaller-format market serving downtown Springfield. It adapts the company’s grocery offer to an urban setting, with an emphasis on convenient access to fresh food and everyday essentials rather than the full footprint of a conventional supermarket.
Fuel and convenience retail · 2013
Big Y Express
Big Y Express locations combine gasoline sales with convenience-store merchandise. Most are located near a full-size Big Y supermarket, allowing the company to extend its customer relationship into fuel, quick trips, beverages, snacks, and other convenience purchases.
Controversies
2021
Alexander & Hornung recalls pork products over possible Listeria exposure
Alexander & Hornung recalled 234,000 pounds of fully cooked pork products sold under several brand names after a recall was issued over possible exposure to Listeria monocytogenes. The article reported no associated illnesses. Consumers were urged to discard affected products.
Brand decisions
2024
Reuse three abandoned Amazon Fresh sitesStrategyBackground
Amazon reversed plans to expand Amazon Fresh into Massachusetts and Connecticut, leaving three leased sites that had never opened.
Action taken
Big Y took over the leases in Brookfield and Westport, Connecticut, and Westborough, Massachusetts, and developed them for Big Y stores.
Aftermath
The sites provided a route for additional expansion without requiring entirely new real-estate projects; the stores opened between 2024 and 2025.
2016
Acquire eight divested Hannaford locationsM&ABackground
Ahold and Delhaize were required to divest stores to obtain regulatory clearance for their merger. Eight Massachusetts Hannaford locations were included in the divestiture process.
Action taken
Big Y entered a purchase agreement for the eight stores and converted them to its own supermarket format.
Aftermath
The acquisition increased Big Y’s Massachusetts store count to 37 at the time and extended the chain from western Massachusetts toward Greater Boston.
2010
Acquire selected A&P stores in ConnecticutM&ABackground
A&P was withdrawing from central Connecticut, creating an opportunity for Big Y to expand within a market adjacent to its existing operations.
Action taken
Big Y purchased seven A&P stores and converted four renovated locations into Big Y World Class Markets.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Big Y’s Connecticut presence and demonstrated its preference for selective regional growth through store acquisitions.
Recent events
Reported
Alexander & Hornung recalls pork products over possible Listeria exposure[2]
Alexander & Hornung recalled 234,000 pounds of fully cooked pork products sold under several brand names after a recall was issued over possible exposure to Listeria monocytogenes. The article reported no associated illnesses. Consumers were urged to discard affected products.
Reported
Big Y rolls out Scan & Go checkout service[3]
Big Y rolled out its myExpress Checkout Scan & Go service, allowing customers to scan items and pay in the app. The service was available at 19 stores, with 10 more opening soon.
Reported
Big Y partners with FutureProof Retail to roll out Scan & Go[3]
Big Y partnered with FutureProof Retail to roll out its myExpress Checkout Scan & Go service, which lets customers check out on their phones and skip the cash-register line. The service was available at 19 stores, with 10 more opening soon.
TRxADE HEALTH signs retail partnerships to onboard telehealth customers[4]
TRxADE HEALTH said it had signed enterprise retail partnerships with Winn-Dixie, Big Y, SpartanNash and Brookshire Grocery to onboard new customers to its telehealth platform.
Sources4 sources
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