Sobeys Appoints Pierre St-Laurent President, CEO
Empire Co. Ltd.'s board of directors has chosen Pierre St-Laurent as president and CEO of Empire and Sobeys Inc. The appointment is effective immediately.
St-Laurent succeeds Michael Medline, who announced his retirement from the Canadian food and pharmacy retailer in May, after nine years in the role. Medline will remain on into December to support a thorough transition.
St-Laurent has been with Empire for 34 years, serving in increasingly senior roles with the company, across the finance, distribution and logistics, retail operations and merchandising functions. In 2019, he was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer for Empire, where he oversaw the company's merchandising, operations and supply chain functions across Canada, while also serving on the company's executive leadership team. In 2020, he was named one of Canada's 50 Best Executives by the Globe and Mail's Report on Business Magazine.
St-Laurent will also serve on Empire's board of directors.
"After a robust and well-governed succession process that included both an extensive global search and consideration of internal candidates, our board is delighted to have identified our next CEO from within our organization," James Dickson, Empire chair of the board, said in a news release. "Pierre is a seasoned retail executive who has served as one of the key architects of our company's success, ... [and] choosing a leader from within our senior leadership ranks speaks to the depth of talent in our company and reinforces that our greatest strength lies in our people."
Empire has more than 2,300 supermarkets, convenience and liquor stores in all 10 of Canada's provinces. Its banners include Sobeys, Foodland, Longo's and Safeway. In fiscal 2025 it reported 31 billion Canadian dollars in sales.
