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Report: Amazon bids for four Fairway Market stores

E-tail giant in the mix with independent grocers to buy N.Y., N.J. locations

Russell Redman

March 20, 2020

2 Min Read
Fairway_Market-supermarket_storefront.jpg
In January, Fairway Market, which operates 14 stores in the New York tri-state area, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.Fairway Market

Amazon reportedly has offered to buy two New York and two New Jersey stores of upscale grocer Fairway Market, currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Late yesterday, the New York Post reported that Amazon has made bids for Fairway’s stores in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn, N.Y. (New York City); Pelham Manor, N.Y. (in New York’s Westchester County); and Woodland Park and Paramus, N.J. The Post cited an anonymous source who said the deep-pocketed e-tail giant is expected to win the auction for the Fairway stores, held this week.

Seattle-based Amazon declined to discuss the report. “Amazon doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation,” the company said in an email statement on Friday.

The Post report comes as Amazon hatches new physical grocery store concepts. Earlier this month, Amazon opened a 10,400-square-foot Amazon Go Grocery store in Seattle, which showed that the e-tailer can scale the cashierless “Just Walk Out” technology from its Amazon Go convenience stores to a neighborhood market format. Amazon also has confirmed plans to open an as-yet-unnamed grocery store in Woodland Hills, Calif., this year, part of a reported new supermarket chain planned by the company, aside from its Whole Foods Market subsidiary.

So far, three bidders have emerged for some of the 14 Fairway stores, including Amazon, Bogopa Enterprises and ShopRite operator Village Super Market.

Related:Fairway Market receives higher offer for Manhattan locations

Last week, Fairway received a $75 million “qualified overbid” for its five Manhattan stores, Pelham Manor store and Bronx distribution center from Brooklyn-based Bogopa, which operates 26 Food Bazaar supermarkets in New York City, New York’s Westchester County and Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. Fairway also said at the time it was evaluating competitive offers for various other stores.

And in January, Fairway unveiled a $70 million stalking-horse bid for its five Manhattan stores and DC from Wakefern Food Corp. cooperative member Village Super Market. Springfield, N.J.-based Village owns and operates 30 ShopRite supermarkets in New Jersey, Maryland, New York City and Pennsylvania and three Gourmet Garage specialty markets in New York City. The bid came the same day that New York-based Fairway announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Fairway currently operates eight stores in New York City, including five in Manhattan (Chelsea, Harlem, Kips Bay, Upper East Side and Upper West Side), two in Brooklyn (Georgetown and Red Hook) and one in Queens (Douglaston). The chain also operates two stores in Long Island (Westbury and Plainview); one in Westchester County (Pelham Manor); two in New Jersey (Paramus and Woodland Park); and one in Connecticut (Stamford).

Related:Fairway Market files for Chapter 11, plans to sell all stores

Fairway’s retail locations also include two Wine & Spirits stores in New Jersey and one each in New York and Connecticut.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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