Local 1500 Campaign featured in Supermarket News

In the March 24th issue of Supermarket News, Local 1500's campaign to bring more Supermarkets to the five boroughs was highlighted. Click on the image to read the piece.

Week Wrap Up

Quote of the week:

"Wal-Mart put my store out of business, so I had to get a job at Wal-Mart," the man says. "Thanks to Wal-Mart, I can now only afford to shop at Wal-Mart. Enjoy shopping at Wal-Mart."

New Yorkers are getting priced out of Grocery Stores: Over the last six years, researchers report, the number of supermarkets in New York has shrunk by a third. Three of the city's top food chains -- D'Agostino, Gristedes, and Key Food -- "have each closed about a dozen stores since 2000."

Pratt professors are seeking to reconcile competing plans for the Brooklyn Navy yards... Hoping to compromise preserving the historic Admirals Row and adding a much needed supermarket to the area.

Here is a Wal-Mart Riverhead lawsuit update.

The shutdown of Long Island's only Food Emporium, an upscale supermarket in upscale Great Neck, has upset some village residents, including the mayor, who says the company never gave him a straight answer about the closure.

After 13 years of planning, compromise and patience, the Pathmark fund was finally given out to southeast Queens business owners at a special meeting in Laurelton Tuesday. City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) personally distributed the nearly $72,000 in grant money to 14 small businesses at his district office. The grants, which are part of a $400,000 account set aside by the owners of the Pathmark supermarket on Merrick Boulevard and Springfield Boulevard, will be used to help the businesses improve the exterior looks of their stories and offices

A&P says the Pathmark Integration is "Going Well"

Delhaize Group said yesterday that it took an impairment charge of $18.6 million for the value of 25 Sweetbay stores, indicating those locations are not meeting financial projections.
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As Ahold continues to reduce pricing and inventory levels at two of its U.S. chains, it is gaining an edge in dealing with vendors, Lawrence Benjamin, president and chief operating officer of the U.S. operations, said yesterday.
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Village Super Market in NJ, which operates 25 ShopRite stores in New Jersey, this week said it expects same-store sales in the current quarter to be impacted by "cautious" behavior on the part of consumers.
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Albertsons kicked off its Healthy Eaters field trip program in California yesterday. Children in kindergarten through fourth grade are eligible for the tours, designed to develop healthy eating habits.
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Here's a speech made by Joe Hansen on Feb 29th on I.C.E. raids...

Daily News (Albor Ruiz Column): Food workers fed up with Goldman Sachs : Hundreds of people who work at the cafeterias of many of Wall Street's largest investment banks staged a rally Wednesday in front of Goldman Sachs. All of them are employed by Aramark

Long Island City Realty or Reality check....Amish maybe delayed longer.

Politics

The AFL-CIO's leaders on Wednesday found a presidential candidate they can agree to focus on: Sen. John McCain. The nation's largest labor federation announced at its executive council meeting in San Diego that it would continue to remain neutral in the Democratic race between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, but would begin training its political resources on McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee.

Obama adviser Samantha Power called Hillary Clinton a “monster,” then apologized, while the campaign denounced her statement.

Puerto Rico moved its primary to June 1.

When stopped by police for D.U.I, , Adam Clayton Powell IV reportedly told police, “I'm not drunk because I ate
something."

Inez Dickens is the target of a union unhappy with her position on the rezoning of 125th Street.

There’s another candidate for Joe Addabbo’s seat.

Top of the News to you...

Here's an update on Local 1529's new ratified contract with Kroger.

Supermarket News covers Stop & Shops "Low Prices Everyday" program.

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc. debuted a 50,000-sq.-ft. store, which it is dubbing a "groceraunt," in the Northeast Valley area near Phoenix, according to The Arizona Republic. The new Whole Foods, Company marketers have named the new store, which is also LEED-ceritified, a "groceraunt," a combination grocery store and restaurant, because of the wide variety of products and services offered at this location. With about 200 employees--many who are specialists in the sections where they work--the store features several mini-restaurants such as the Smokehouse Grill and the Asian Express,

Last week Employees at 82 Safeway stores across Alberta voted to approve new contracts

NY Times (editorial): A Streetcart Named Healthy:

Health experts have taken to calling low-income neighborhoods “food deserts,” and it is easy to see why. Supermarkets are usually in short supply and specialty produce and health-food stores are even rarer…Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council have come up with an innovative solution. Pressed by Speaker Christine Quinn, the Council withstood protests from the retail food industry and approved 1,000 new licenses for mobile fruit and vegetable stands — designating them for the parts of the city that need them most.

Politics

If you didn't see Hillary on SNL this weekend, check it out here.

In Ohio...Unions Count...

Charles Barron is visiting Cuba to study the health care system.

Five gay candidates may run for City Council in Queens.