Stats
Quick Look
Founded: 2014 Stores: Approximately 400 Headquarters: Port Washington, NY Trade Region: CT, GA, MA, NC, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA Major Banners: Associated Supermarkets, Compare Foods, Giunta's Meat Farms, Met Foodmarkets, Pioneer Supermarkets CEO: Robert Striano Storebrand(s): Super A, Avenue A, White Rose Distributor: C&S Wholesale Grocers Website: www.asghq.com |
History
Associated Supermarkets: 1954-2014
An Associated Supermarket on East 14th Street in Manhattan, NY. Replaying the events happening across the city, the landlord had threatened to raise the rent of the supermarket to unreasonable amounts to attract more profitable tenants. Summer 2017
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Formed in 1954, the Associated Supermarkets cooperative (also known as Associated Food Holdings) is one of the iconic New York City brands. Doing business as both Associated Supermarkets and Super A Supermarkets in the past, the group's banners were consolidated under Associated Supermarkets by 2014. Associated's wholesaler, White Rose of Carteret, NJ, filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and ultimately liquidated to C&S Wholesale Grocers.
One of Associated's most recognized members was what now is called Morton Williams Supermarkets, an old-school New York City chain doing business as Morton Williams Associated. Morton Williams split from Associated around 2010 and now has a distribution contract with Wakefern Food of Elizabeth, NJ. During DiGiorgio's bankruptcy, many members became frustrated with the inconsistent supply provided by the suffering wholesaler in transition. These members typically switched to other cooperatives, especially Key Food of Staten Island, NY and Krasdale Foods of White Plains, NY. One of the prime examples of this is the Shehadeh brothers, whose stores switched from Associated to Key Food in 2013. A Seabra Foods of Union, NJ has maintained a relationship with Associated Food Holdings since at least 2007. |
Met Foodmarkets & DiGiorgio Foods: 1941-2014
Met Foodmarkets, a longtime New York City cooperative, was formed in 1941, predating all major cooperatives in the New York metropolitan area except IGA and Krasdale. It operated as an independent supermarket group with its own storebrand, Met Foods, until its purchase in 1965 by the DiGiorgio Corporation, a fruit wholesaler, and its storebrand was changed to White Rose. DiGiorgio was ultimately cut down in the 1990s to only its grocery wholesaling and retailing operations, leaving Met Foods and White Rose as the primary functions of DiGiorgio.
In 2005, a group of independent Met Foods operators decided to split off from Met, still under the supervision of DiGiorgio, and form their own cooperative. This was probably the largest single blow to the Met Foods group, and the already-struggling cooperative started its quickly-increasing decline. The split group became known as the Neighborhood Supermarket Association, today known as America's Food Basket. Met Foodmarkets retained its DiGiorgio ownership until 2014. |
Although there were previously many Met Foodmarkets in Manhattan, there is currently only one operating. This location on Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood is owned by Gabriel Estevez, whose brother Robin owns a chain of Foodtown supermarkets. Summer 2016
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Pioneer Supermarkets: 1950s-2014
One of the oldest operating supermarkets in Manhattan is this Pioneer on Columbus Avenue. It opened in 1959 and has been operating continuously ever since, although only recently did the owners decide to open on Sundays. Neighborhood legend has it that this store still sells on credit to regulars. Winter 2017
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Unfortunately, not much is known about the history of Pioneer Supermarkets. The Pioneer Supermarket on the Upper West Side has been open since 1959 as a Pioneer, as the West Side Rag reported. By approximately 1990, Pioneer was being supplied by DiGiorgio as well and by 2014 was owned and licensed by DiGiorgio.
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Compare Foods: 1987-2014
A Dominican immigrant, Eligio Peña arrived in New York City in 1970, fleeing political unrest in the Dominican Republic. After working in a bodega for several years, he opened his first supermarket in Woodside, Queens, NY in 1978. At first he worked with Associated Supermarkets, but later, realizing that most supermarkets had English names, he chose a name that would be equally understandable to both English and Spanish speakers, and mean the same in both languages. The first Compare Foods Supermarket, a member of Associated Food Holdings, opened in Freeport, NY in 1987. A similar store opened in nearby Brentwood, NY the following year.
Peña found success in buying or moving into closed chain stores and converting them to the Hispanic-focused Compare banner, expanding into Connecticut and Massachusetts. When he realized that the Hispanic population was rapidly increasing in North Carolina, he opened the first Compare Foods in Zebulon, NC, in 2000, followed by a larger store in Charlotte in 2003. By 2014, the Grupo Compare had expanded into multiple East Coast states with over 90 stores. While some stores were still owned and operated by the Peña family, the Grupo Compare had also made the trade name available to franchise operators. It maintained a working relationship with Associated Food Holdings and was supplied by the DiGiorgio Corporation. |
A new Compare Foods in Spring Valley, NY. The Grupo Compare has found major success in its franchise operations outside of the typical geographic area of the corporately-owned stores. Winter 2017
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The Formation of ASG: 2014-2017
Super A and White Rose products on sale at A Seabra Foods in Union, NJ. Both brands are being phased out in favor of the newer Avenue A brand, distributed by Associated Supermarket Group of Port Washington, NY. Fall 2016
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In 2014, following DiGiorgio's bankruptcy, its assets were divided among other corporations. The wholesale division was absorbed by C&S Wholesale Grocers of Keene, NH, which still produces White Rose products. The retail divisions (including Met and Pioneer stores) were taken over by the newly-formed Associated Supermarket Group (ASG), which also absorbed the essentially defunct Associated Food Holdings and Grupo Compare. Today, ASG is an overarching management corporation which operates three distinct supermarket groups:
While ASG has been criticized for its haphazard operation, it is important to consider the fact that ASG as we know it today has only been in operation for three years. For instance, in 2016, it announced the introduction of the Avenue A private label brand, which is being rolled out in stores through 2018. Going forward, ASG has a sustainable business model that includes "hyperlocal" marketing - and unique operators! |
New Banners and Spinoffs: 2014-2017
Beginning in 2014, a newly-formed ASG member called A&E Supermarket Group, Inc. began switching its owned Associated and Pioneer stores to the new Cherry Valley Marketplace and City Fresh Market banners. Typically, these conversions coincided with major renovations of the stores, often in higher-income neighborhoods. Two Compare Foods supermarkets were also converted, one in West Hempstead, NY and one in Waterbury, CT, both former Pathmarks. The Cherry Valley and City Fresh supermarkets also introduced a new storebrand the same year, Cherry Valley Always Fresh. By 2017, A&E had left ASG and switched suppliers to General Trading Corporation of Carlstadt, NJ and the stores now sell Parade products in addition to the Cherry Valley ones, although some locations remain within ASG.
Sensing a need for a higher-end banner, ASG introduced its Metropolitan CityMarket banner, operating under Metropolitan CityFoods. Locations were opened in high-income neighborhoods of Manhattan and Brooklyn, NY, as well as Secaucus and Leonia, NJ. Two locations remain under MCF in Brooklyn; however, the other locations quickly failed. The location in Manhattan is now a New Yorkers Foodmart with Krasdale Foods, the Secaucus location has closed, and the Leonia location has become an Hmart. A second attempt at a high-end banner can be seen in MCF's Met Fresh banner, which began with one store in Brooklyn and a larger store in suburban Nyack, NY, which was closed due to failed health inspections. The Brooklyn location remains in operation. |
Rudy Nuñez opened his Nyack, NY Met Fresh Market in a former Stop & Shop in 2015, but it closed in the summer of 2017 due to failed health inspections. The new location was an upscale suburban store of about 25,000 square feet. Winter 2017.
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The off-center, temporary Imperium sign sums up the professionalism of the Fresh Emporium/Imperium operation. Neftali Medina's two stores in Jefferson and Landing (pictured here), NJ went out of business within a year of opening, and operated under the Pioneer banner of Metropolitan CityFoods. Summer 2016.
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MCF operator Neftali Medina took over two closed Pathmarks in western New Jersey (Jefferson and Landing) and reopened them as Fresh Emporium Food Markets in spring 2016. The brief existence of Fresh Emporium, however, was constantly interrupted by problems. First, both locations opened later than expected, even though no renovation had been done to either. Neither location had a pharmacy, but both had promised one. Soon after opening, the corporation was hit with a trademark-infringement lawsuit by Key Food Stores, owner of the Food Emporium name; the stores were converted to Fresh Imperium soon thereafter before closing by spring 2017. After their closure along with Medina's Freehold Fresh Market in Freehold, NJ, rumors quickly began circulating that the stores were a front for an illegal operation; however, there is no evidence that this is true.
The POM Group opened in summer 2017 a Gourmet A'Fare Market in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. As yet, there is only one Gourmet A'Fare and it is unclear whether the banner will be made available to other operators. |