The Market Report

Out of nowhere, the long-gone grocery chain Food Fair has risen from the dead! OK, maybe that's a little dramatic. But this independent, four-store chain has grown quickly, starting with an actual Food Fair in Paterson, NJ , operated under the name Food Fair La Gran Marqueta. In 2015, a second location opened in Spring Valley, NY as a Food Fair Wholesale Fresh Market. Soon after, in 2016, a location in the Bronx, NY opened as a Food Fair Fresh Market in a former Fine Fare. Now most recently, in 2017, this Fine Fare in Newark has become the latest Food Fair Fresh Market. All of their stores are operating under Retail Grocers Group, which also runs Fine Fare stores. This store was previously the Fine Fare International Supermarket , which opened ca. 2008 in a closed C-Town , which does not seem to have been closed very long. Obviously the store is still in progress. The sign facing the parking lot (above) is a banner where the Fine Fare sign was. The sign facing the street is

The Rise & Fall of the Imperium Fresh Emporium / Fresh Imperium, Jefferson, NJ While the urban and suburban A&P locations often were the subjects of intense competition and bidding from outfits looking to purchase them, those farther out from the immediate NYC or Philadelphia areas more likely quietly closed without purchase. Surprisingly, independent investor Neftali Medina of the Bronx bid on two former Pathmarks, this new-build location in Jefferson, NJ, built in the 1990s (for $1.45 million), and a former Grand Union in Landing, NJ. (at only $400,000!). Medina claimed he would open the supermarkets "three to four weeks" after the purchase but in reality opened about two months later. He also claimed both locations' pharmacies would reopen shortly after the stores themselves did...which also didn't happen. Fresh Emporium promoted itself online (on their Facebook account) prior to the opening as an upscale, natural and gourmet food market. This outfi

Check out my Flickr photostream for lots of new additions! 38 new circular scans! Ross' Shop 'N Save! An update to the Livingston ShopRite! The now-closed Summit Food Market! The Food Emporium at Union Square! A return to Supremo in Elizabeth! A cool supermarket in a cool building! My first Associated Supermarket! Stay tuned for more store tours starting on Wednesday!

Taking the place of an outdated Stop & Shop here in Nyack, NY is the all-new, independently-owned Met Fresh Market. It's 28,000 square feet, a former Grand Union. Stop & Shop closed this store in favor of the newly-opened Orangeburg, NY store, much nicer, and it sat vacant for a few years before being leased by independent supermarket operator Rudy Nuñez, who also owns stores in New York City. Like so many of the stores we've been seeing recently, it was completely gutted before being reopened. Not sure if this store still has its Grand Opening signage; at the time of my visit in February it did. (The Elizabeth Food Bazaar still has a Grand Opening banner a year after they opened!) Interesting that this store chooses to have nonfood merchandise outdoors like firewood and rock salt - most stores like this put nonperishable foods outside. Notice the garage door-type cover here. At night, they can simply pull it down and lock up the merchandise. Heading in, you