How a succession battle over a beloved New England supermarket empire turned ugly

AP Images As Artie T.

Demoulas addressed a crowd of hundreds of workers on the lawn of the Market Basket headquarters, he sounded more like a left-wing union organizer than the centimillionaire CEO of a grocery empire.

"No one person is better or more important than another," Demoulas said, dropping his Rs in a New England accent, his brow slick in the August heat.

"Whether it's a full-timer or a part-timer, a sacker or a cashier, a grocery clerk or a truck driver or a warehouse selectman, a store manager, a supervisor, a customer, a vendor, or a CEO — we are all equal." The speech marked the culmination of a bizarre labor battle that had come to define the summer of 2014 in New England.

Amid a long-standing feud with a rival branch of his family, led by his cousin Artie S.

Demoulas, the Market Basket board of directors voted to oust Artie T. as CEO that June.

Artie T., who had spent decades building the supermarket brand into a profitable New England powerhouse, did not go quietly.

The CEO had built a fierce loyalty among Market Basket employees and customers.

He had developed a reputation as a generous but unassuming executive who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty on the shop floor.

When he made store visits, he would often stop and carry bags for customers.

He remembered clerks' and butchers' names and helped them with medical expenses.

"He was a great guy who would always listen to you," says Dan Jarvis, a 20-year Market Basket veteran, who remembers Artie T. showing up at his grandmother's funeral.

For many locals, he had come to represent a bygone era of corporate decency , when executives put the needs of their workers and customers before their shareholders' bank accounts.

In the weeks after his firing, employees organized walkouts and picket lines at all 71 Market Basket franchises.