I hope you're having a great weekend, and happy June! Similar to what I did (twice) in May, here's a roundup of some recent supermarket news, focused on the things I've been able to get out and see myself. (By the way, I report a lot of this as I learn about it on my X/Twitter page, if you don't already follow me there.) In alphabetical order...
The ACME in Old Bridge, NJ has gotten a renovation, but it's clearly struggling. Read more here.
A fully constructed Amazon Fresh is sitting vacant in Parlin, 39,000 square feet formerly occupied by Modell's Sporting Goods. Work stalled as far back as about a year and a half ago, but the store looks ready to open any day now -- minus the sign, of course. The sign was installed and subsequently removed in Woodland Park. Up in Connecticut, a Big Y opened in an acquired (never opened) Amazon Fresh. Here in Parlin, the strip mall also has an Indian grocer called Bhavani Foods, but if two grocers operated here, it wouldn't be the first time.
Village Super Market's latest location in Old Bridge, NJ opened in mid-March -- and it's as close to perfect as a ShopRite can get. Read all about it here.
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To the north in Rochelle Park, Glass Gardens' original ShopRite is getting its latest expansion, and the renovation is almost done. Check it out here.
The world's largest dairy store has mooooved into the former ACME/Seasons at Styertowne Plaza in Clifton, marking their second New Jersey location. Tour it here!
The SuperFresh in Glen Rock, which we last saw back in 2021, has been sold. On Friday, May 24, it officially became a Food Universe (still affiliated with Key Food, and this store briefly operated as a Key Food when it was converted from Food Basics following A&P's bankruptcy). I visited on May 22, after the store had been sold but before it switched to Food Universe. The entire store was being reset, with new merchandise and price tags coming to all the departments.
Most of the aisles had rows of boxes on one or both sides, and several employees around the store were rearranging shelves and price tags. One problem -- if this store is going to become a Food Universe (and I don't know if signage has changed yet), there were cases and cases of SuperFresh reusable bags all around the store. (There's a lot of SuperFresh branding, too, but that's easy enough to cover up.) Hopefully they can sell the bags to another SuperFresh location or something...
In the last aisle, something was removed and temporarily covered (there were a few holes in this wall with some wires hanging out) with large water jugs. I can't honestly remember what used to be here, and I don't know what it's going to be. But I'll be back to check it out!
It's official -- the Old Bridge SuperFresh will open on June 12! Read about it here.
We have a date on the Top Tomato in Old Bridge, too -- June 20th will be the grand opening! Read more here.
ACME Markets
Old Bridge, NJ
Amazon Fresh
Parlin, NJ
Bravo Supermarkets
Easton, PA
A source says the former Easton Food Market in Easton, PA is set to reopen sometime next month as a Bravo Supermarket.
Foodtown
Brooklyn, NY
A Brooklyn Heights Foodtown is set to open June 7.
Met Fresh Supermarket
Brooklyn, NY | Queens, NY
The Hamdan family has been busy lately, with siblings Danny and Jeneen Hamdan opening Met Fresh stores in Queens and Brooklyn just a week apart. Danny's Ridgewood location opened on May 24, while Jeneen's Kensington location opened on the 31st.
ShopRite
Old Bridge, NJ
Rochelle Park, NJ
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Sprouts Farmers Market
Aberdeen, NJ
Sprouts is working on its third New Jersey location, opening June 7th in part of a former A&P.
Stew Leonard's
Clifton, NJ
Stop & Shop
If you've been following supermarket news lately, you'll know that things look grim for Stop & Shop at the moment. A Strategy Day hosted by parent company Ahold Delhaize revealed that the chain is struggling ("It's not where we want to be or need to be," said ADUSA president JJ Fleeman) and that they're planning to embark on a revitalization program involving lowering prices, renovating stores that haven't been redone yet, and closing an unspecified number of stores. Since Strategy Day on May 23, headlines have blared about mass closures, but the truth is no specifics have been released yet. As I've been documenting, store conditions have seriously declined recently and large swaths of especially New Jersey stores haven't been renovated in a decade or more. When any specific news comes out on what's to happen, I'll post a more extensive overview, hopefully including visits to stores that are set to close if possible. Looking both anecdotally at my visits to stores and the stores that have been renovated compared to which remain untouched for years -- combined with the fact that Fleeman spoke about market exits at the Strategy Day, which I attended virtually -- my best guess is that the majority of closures will be in central Jersey, western Massachusetts (probably greater Worcester and westward), and possibly some remote parts of Connecticut, especially in the northwest. But it's hard to guess because we don't really know how many stores are to close, and my prediction would be vastly different if there were 15 expected closures as compared to 100.
SuperFresh
Bronx, NY
Thanks to this Facebook post, we know that a SuperFresh is coming to Riverdale in the Bronx, opening in a former Rite Aid at 238th and Broadway. That'll be the Bronx's fourth SuperFresh.
Glen Rock, NJ
Old Bridge, NJ
Roselle, NJ
And believe it or not, we finally have a date for the opening of SuperFresh in Roselle -- June 7! The store has been closed since 2021 when Hurricane Ida caused the roof to collapse. You can bet I'll be there as soon as I can.
Top Tomato Superstore
Old Bridge, NJ
Staten Island, NY
Over on Staten Island, the address of the Bay Street Top Tomato is now listed on Key Food's website as a Food Dynasty. There's been funny business before with Top Tomato and other brands -- two locations on Staten Island briefly became Associated. One closed shortly thereafter; the other had a fire and was cut back in size before reopening as more of a specialty market/deli.
That's all for now, but keep an eye out for more coverage of some of these other locations I mention!
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