In the new role, Payne will oversee a team responsible for devising and executing marketing strategy and promotional plans for nearly 300 Tops, Price Chopper and Market 32 stores in the Northeast.
Payne has spent 19 years at Tops, most recently as director of advertising, a role he has served in since January 2016.
Overall, NGI’s retail network spans roughly 280 stores — including about 130 under the Price Chopper, Market 32, Market Bistro banners — in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Tops Markets Chairman and CEO Frank Curci now serves as NGI’s CEO, succeeding Scott Grimmett, former president and CEO of Price Chopper/Market 32, who retired in February.