The following is via TLS
The much-talked about closure of the ShopRite in Lakewood is happening next week, TLS is reporting.
The chain store came into Lakewood approximately 40 years ago, and is owned and operated by Saker ShopRites – a family owned business.
Beginning with a small “mom and pop” store opened in 1916 in Freehold, New Jersey, the Saker family has operated grocery stores for almost 100 years, according to their website. They opened their first supermarket in 1956.
Saker ShopRites owns and operates 29 supermarkets in central New Jersey, including Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex, Somerset and Mercer counties.
The Lakewood ShopRite also contained a Kosher Experience, and attracted thousands of Frum shoppers.
The Lakewood store will shut its doors on April 21, 2015, and a new ShopRite in Howell – in the former Kmart location – will be opening its doors on April 22, 2015.
The Howell location however, will contain only a fraction of the Kosher products and services currently offered in Lakewood, sources tell TLS.
The Frum employees at ShopRite in Lakewood will reportedly be relocated to the other Kosher Experience locations.
Gourmet Glatt, a large Jewish supermarket with locations in Brooklyn and Cedarhurst, New York, will be moving into the Lakewood ShopRite location, sources say, though no opening date is available.
(Source: TLS)
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9 Responses
nothing is forever
It baffles me beyond belief that ShopRite would drop the Kosher Experience in the new store. Even if they didn’t have the deli, I am highly surprised that they are doing a major scale down of the kosher products found in the last two aisles.
Mark -“I am highly surprised that they are doing a major scale down of the kosher products found in the last two aisles.”
This doesn’t surprise me at all. They can’t make as much $ as other products, because they have to pay the wholesalers which cost a Sach Gelt! I think Kosher Ex will be placed in Brick or Jackson.
This is the free market.
When the community doesn’t buy there, the market closes down.
Gourmet Kosher sees a great opportunity … they think it is a good “market” and a great time to invest.
Capitalism works.
I am highly surprised that anybody would be baffled (except for a non-free market Pink-o commie!)
Why is Gourmet Glatt allowed to open in Lakewood and Moishas is not permitted to open in Lakewood.
#2 MARKIE:
FIRST PLEASE READ BY COMMENT BY ‘roshvrishon’
then take a business course to understand further on ‘WHY’.
OK I’ll give you a clue…the demographics, the Jewish population maybe…cant sustain the dollar investment to have a full line kosher department…
THANK YOU
Shop Rite of Lakewood was the first Shop Rite to install a Kosher Experience department. It is a shame that they are now leaving Lakewood and are dropping that department. I suppose their business analysts did their research to make this decision and they decided it was best for Shop Rite. I personally did not buy that much in that dept. as I don’t use most pre-prepared foods. I mostly bought the fish there and very few other specialty kosher items. But, I still will miss its presence in Lakewood. I’ll probably still be shopping there for all the things I always bought there. The only difference will be the tax rate because Lakewood had a special 3% tax which is double elsewhere.
Perhaps you should look at the competition to Shop Rite, I.e. the number of NPGS stores opening up.
Also the changing demographics of Lakewood itself from a community of almost all Kollel families to the emerging “Boro Park/flatbush” migration, who would be the ones to support a “Gourmet” super market.
When Shop rite opened it kosher sections there was a Market need for a mixed shopping experience, now, not so much whether you feel it is for the good or not so good it is still the new reality of Lakewood
Will the group of stores still be called “shoprite plaza”?;)