These are the PR firms battling it out in the Market Basket parking lot

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When Market Basket’s corporate drama played out on front pages and televisions 11 years ago, Arthur T. Demoulas triumphed over a cousin who tried to cashier him out of the family business. 

The cousin, also named Arthur but with the middle initial S., lost the public war of words, failing to make the case for how the beloved grocery chain that employs 30,000 people would be better off without Arthur T.

This time is different, according to some of the players in the latest chapter in the Market Basket saga. Arthur T. has been on leave for months, and the board of directors has been much more proactive in articles and on TV. The two sides now head to mediation.

Behind the scenes, the two public relations firms on either side are familiar names on Beacon Hill: Rasky Partners, which is representing Arthur T. as it did in 2013, with Justine Griffin having the account, and Liberty Square Group, which is representing the board through its law firm.

Back in 2013, “it was this amorphous, ‘Good Arthur’ versus ‘Bad Arthur,’ and that dichotomy fueled” the battle, according to Liberty Square Group’s Judy Rakowsky. “This time we don’t have that.”

Liberty Square Group became involved through Quinn Emanuel, the law firm hired by the board to investigate Arthur T. New York-based Arena, which was initially on the roster, is no longer working for the board. Nor is Seven Letter, the company that merged in 2020 with O’Neill & Associates.

“This is a case in business where public relations plays an unusually large role,” said Grant Welker, a Boston Business Journal reporter who is covering the power plays. Welker would know: He co-wrote the book on the last dispute, which he covered while working for the Lowell Sun.

Welker also noted that Arthur T., for all his popularity, rarely does interviews or speaks publicly. He’s out at store openings, tours locations, and meets with store managers, but otherwise he keeps a low profile. That can present a challenge for a PR company. 

On the other side, he added, the board of directors faces the task of getting the public to see their version, which includes allegations of a planned work stoppage and a lack of agreement over succession planning. That’s less digestible than cousins fighting for control.

“We know from 2014, when Arthur T. was fired, employees rallied to his side,” he said. “We learned the public has influence. Arthur T. got the company back, he bought it out from his cousins and reinstated himself as CEO. It’s not clear these days whether that public outrage is there.”

What’s your favorite thing to buy at Market Basket? “Everything, because it’s cheaper” is an acceptable answer. Let me know: [email protected].

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12:00 | Gov. Maura Healey makes an announcement related to a strategy "to grow Massachusetts' world-renowned research and innovation economy and create thousands of new jobs in the face of federal funding cuts." | Nurses Hall, State House, Boston | Livestream

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QUALIFIED IMMUNITY: Law enforcement interest groups voiced opposition to a bill that could make it easier for civil rights claims against police officers. — State House News Service

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CAMPUS SALE: Facing declining enrollment, rising costs and loss of federal funding, colleges and universities are selling off their real estate, including entire campuses. – Boston Business Journal

HOSPITAL M&A: Two Springfield hospitals, Mercy Medical Center and Baystate Health, are in merger or acquisition talks, sources say. — MassLive

WITHOUT OPPOSITION: Michael Molisse, a real estate agent who stepped in as acting mayor of Weymouth when Bob Hedlund stepped down in July due to health concerns, won’t face any opponents as he runs for a full term this fall. – Patriot Ledger

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