Le Duff America Inc., owner of Bruegger’s, announced co-CEO James Greco will step down as of December 27 to pursue other opportunities.
Greco took on the role of co-CEO of Le Duff America when the company purchased Bruegger’s and its stable of brands in March 2011. Prior to the acquisition, he was CEO of Bruegger’s, a role he had held since 2003 when he entered a partnership with Sun Capital to acquire the bagel bakery brand. David Austin will continue to lead Bruegger’s in his role as president.
During his tenure, Greco led a successful turnaround of Bruegger’s core business, resulting in 20 consecutive quarters of positive sales growth. Additionally, Greco grew Bruegger’s through more than a dozen smaller acquisitions including the 2009 purchase of Timothy’s World Coffee’s retail brands. Ultimately, Greco oversaw the Bruegger’s sale to Le Duff and managed the transition.
“Jim led the successful turnaround of Bruegger’s and established an outstanding foundation for the brand,” says Claude Bergeron, co-CEO of Le Duff America. “He has been a real asset during the transition.”