Sunday, March 18, 2007

PATHMARK TO BE ACQUIRED BY A & P SUPERMARKET-LESS COMPETITION

Pathmark supermarkets will be purchased by the A & P supermarket chain, according to the Westchester County Business Journal. The A & P supermarket chain has 3 supermarkets within unincorporated Greenburgh. The Pathmark acquisition by the A & P means less competition. Pathmark is located on Central Ave in Hartsdale. The A & P supermarkets are located on Central Ave, Route 119 (off of Dobbs Ferry Road) and on Knollwood Road. There are 2 other supermarket companies offering service to residents in our area: DeCicco's in Ardsley and Stop and Shop in Dobbs Ferry and Tarrytown.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

if one of the PATHMRK closes I hope SHOPRITE takes over. EDGEMONT PLEASE DO NOT FIGHT THIS.

Anonymous said...

Once again our Stupidvisor is shooting from the lip. The purchase of one company by another does not necessarily mean less competition. Individual stores compete against each other - manager's bonuses are frequently based on a stores results compared to other stores in the same chain.
Perhaps his Meglomaniaship would like to pass a town ordinance prohibiting mergers and acquisitions without his approval.
He's already effectively banned the circus by forbidding animal acts - now we can ban bread too. Get real, get a life, and please get a new job.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Feiner may be right! Competition is good and we should do everything possible to increase it. Where Greenburgh residents have competing governments - village and town - they can play off the venality and greed of one against the other. Thank you Mr. Feiner for finally coming out and endorsing the creation of the village of Edgemont.

Anonymous said...

If our supervisor had not so distanced himself from the democratic party, he could liase with Lowey to find out if the FTC is going to require any of the supermarketst to be sold, and if so, to whom.

If only we had a competent superviosr.

Anonymous said...

MAY I ASK WHAT DOES THE TAKING OVER OF A SUPERMARKET CHAIN ,HAVE TO DO WITH MAKING EDGEMONT A VILLAGE. YOU GOT TO BE SICK.

Anonymous said...

COMPETITION IS IN OUR FAVOR.BRING IN SHOP RITE,AS SOON AS ONE OF THE PATHMARK STORES IS AVAILABLE.WE NEED THIS CHAIN .

Anonymous said...

trader joe's is in greenburgh - that certainly counts as a competitor

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous at 10:16 -
The 9:12 post says that if competition is good for Greenburgh citizens when it happens between retailers, then it is good when it happens between governments. Unsatisfied consumers of government services like parks and recreation at the town-wide level can look to their competing village government to provide the service less expensively or force the town to provide it at a lower cost than the village can. As the Supervisor would call it, a WIN-WIN for taxpayers. So, by extension, Edgemont which has no local government, is being encouraged by the Supervisor to form a competing government at the village level to provide the services with which the residents are dissatisfied - or to force the town to lower the cost of services to a level which makes competition economically infeasible.

Anonymous said...

Most Edgemont residents are not dissatisfied with town services.

Anonymous said...

I've been a resident of Edgemont for 50 years,and I have been satisfied with all the services.The civic association does not represent all of us. Most of us mind our business .If something is wrong we call Town Hall and it is corrected. Please do not speak for all of us in this area.

Anonymous said...

So then competition is bad and the Supervisor is wrong to be worried about the merger.

Anonymous said...

I do not think Feiner is worried about competition.Many people did not know about the merger,so he alerted them.He has always said competition makes things stronger.This merger will benefit the the public,especially if another chain does take over the empty stores.We cannot have four A/P's in the same town ,and two in Yonkers.We need a good variety of business to help us with the economy.If A/P takes over the existing Pathmarks,there will be four A/P 's within a short distance.Shop Rite would be great in our area.We should try to have this chain come into our community.

Anonymous said...

For those of the taxpayers who reside in the southern portion of the Town, there is another alternative that is very alive and well, namely Stew Leonard's. May I also remind you that the Town Supervisor along with a complicit Town Council spent over $600,000 or your money fighting the Sprain Road access to that complex. Competition ??? Has he "forgotten" his actions? The Village of Ardsley taxpayers spent approximately $375,000 to open this access road. Why, if one is interested in competition, did the Town fight, and fight, and fight this road, with appeal after appeal, after appeal?


By the way, on virtually any day, one can see Town of Greenburgh official vehicles using this road. If the Town were so principled in its opposition, it should send the vehicles down the Thruway or down to Tuckahoe Road and back to access the recycling facility.

Anonymous said...

My next door neighbors have collectively lived in Edgemont for 100 years.

They say that town services have never been as lousy as they are today.

They say that once a week garbage pickups during the holidays is unsanitary and has made our neighborhood a mess.

They are appalled that we have a town supervisor who is against building sidewalks so that our children can have a safe place to walk to school.

They are furious that we have a town supervisor who opposes shoveling the ice and snow off the sidewalk on Ardsley Road so that our neighbors can walk safely to and from the train station -- just because he doesn't like that the law requires that the costs be paid for town-wide.

They say they'd vote in a heartbeat to make Edgemont a village.

And what's more, they think competition among area supermarkets has never been more robust. They're not the least bit concerned about A&P acquiring Pathmark. That's not where they shop, but even if it was, they can't recall a time in Edgemont's history where there's been no many nearby high quality grocery stores to choose from, including Trader Joes, Morton-Williams, Balducci's, DiCicco's in Scarsdale, the A&P on Central, Whole Foods in White Plains, the Stop & Shop in White Plains, and the Food Emporium in Eastchester.

They think the supervisor's comment about A&P acquiring Pathmark is intended to scare people, particularly older folks like them, and they want Feiner to know that the town's senior citizens are not the idiots he thinks they are.

Anonymous said...

Bloggers are really going off the deep end when a simple announcement of a merger brings out hostility and the launch pad so that even this is an opportunity to attack the Supervisor.

To begin, this is the Supervisor's Blog...a service he provides at his own expense. Whereas it does offer the opportunity to provide cowards with the ability to criticize him there is also another, broader reality of decency. Would you go to someone's home, as an invited guest, just to insult them?

The Blog allows this but I have less discomfort when I see it done if bloggers are using facts or actions, or at least what they believe to be facts or actions, as the basis for their attack. At this point, the outcome of the joining of the two supermarket chains is only speculation about the results. And, before the "pit bull" reflex takes Ahold of you, consider that this is one example of how the non roll-up model can falter, be aware that there are differing opinions on the pros and cons.

Why can't the store brand(s) have four or more locations in the vastness of Greenburgh? Supermarkets depend upon a lot of repeat visits by local customers, often on the way home from work. Should Starbuck's diffuse their brand because they have many locations within a market? Even before this merger, did A&P close either the Knollwood or the Fairview location? Sometimes the existing lease can be a consideration. Also, Shop Rite is looking for stores of a much larger size. Sometimes the acquirer maintains the existing brand to give the "appearance of propriety" as though there were really competition. 8:40 AM needs some more sleep; when stores are in the same narrow market and thus benefit from corporate pricing and corporate promotion (flyers, advertising) there is very little competition when the nearby store manager's are working from the same prices otherwise: think, customer comes in with the flyer from the store a half mile away and says their price is lower. Store managers generally compete against themselves: think, this year vs prior.

These are just a few of the many speculations that could arise from the purchase. Let's wait and see.
In the meanwhile, the FIVE Town Board members were so proud of the contract with Verizon and the competition it was bringing. The Town Council's Mr. Sheehan was so pleased with all the concessions won.

Anyone feel that this competition has trickled down to the voters' checking accounts yet?

As for Edgemont, perhaps someone, even free marketeer above, could get the FTC to look into the municipal competition matter. There is always the possibility that prices could rise in the creation of this competition. After Edgemont hires back the laid off Greenburgh service payroll, their own taxes will rise because of the inefficiencies of running their own departments. Competition does not always result in lower pricing. Even in Edgemont, home of countless anonymice, where hopes continue to fall with the spectre of eunuch pricing.

But, as I have said before, please Edgemont go for it; please be masters of your fate. Before you leave, just two things: don't slam the door on the way out and let Mr. Sheehan know so that he won't continue to hold the new Comprehensive Plan as your hostage.

In closing, back to 8:40 AM. While your still half-awake ponder this: society allows that women are always losing their heads. Marie Antoinette was the classic example.
But her whole posse including Louis also shared your concerns about bread "Let them eat cake...what's bread?" And since you are also concerned about the
circus, there was a small New England health food chain, Bread & Circus which got swallowed up, not by exotic animals, but by a larger chain. Back to Greenburgh, stick that in your loaf.

Anonymous said...

The once a week garbage pickup during holidays is a policy decision that Francis Sheehan, Steve Bass, Eddie Mae Barnes, Diana Juettner support and want continued.

Anonymous said...

"The Pathmark acquisition by the A&P means less competition."

Thanks for the info, but hey, that's their choice. There's nothing we can or need to do about it. We have plenty of other options in and near Greenburgh.

The bigger picture issue that the town does need to be concerned with is the overall economic development of Central Park Avenue.

Anonymous said...

I recall - didn't the supervisor put funds in the budget last year for a central ave study? Good idea.

Anonymous said...

Having a study on Centrel Ave. for any kind of development is a farce.We all know who are the rulers of that avenue.You guessed it ,,,The Edgemont Civic Association.We also know that Bass,Sheehan,Barnes,and Juettner totally agree with them. .

Anonymous said...

Thank you Mr. Samis for a generally enlightening commentary. In my opinion, it is not the purpose of Town government to either encourage or restrict retail competition. That is the prerogative of consumers who chose to patronize or not patronize particular stores. Please Town officials, concentrate on providing essential governmental services which are your responsibility. Your plate appears full enough without adding to it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Jim Lasser, again I ask you,ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE.

Anonymous said...

Dear Anonymous at 9:50 -
You must have missed my posting last week - I am not a candidate for public office, nor can I envision any set of circumstances which would make me change my mind. My life is very different from what it was when I ran for Supervisor in 2003. Whether you like my ideas or not, you won't be able to express it at the polls - you'll just be able to read them here and there.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Lasser,

While I respect your views in general, a grocery store is more of a necessity than most stores. Especially for the elderly and for the lower income, a grocery store close by, and preferably convenient to public transportation is important. That is why White Plains entered into a public/private partnership with the Stop and Shop for the garage behind their building (becuase otherwise Stop and Shop could not buy enough land for both a large supermarket and for the garage). In White Plains, things appear to be more above board, and no alleged improper benefits. The city had made a number of offers of variances, etc. to help get a grocery store.

That being said, in Greenburgh, everything is touched by the hand of a supervisor looking for campaign dollars.

I can drive to grocery stores, but I would like to see the A & P (which was recently renovated and is lovely) stay and a grocery store in place of the Pathmark.

Anonymous said...

The A/P in Edgemont should stay,after all the work that was done to it.IF ONE THINKS THAT THEIR PRICES ARE LOW,they are mistaken.In place of Pathmark in Hartsdale we need a good competitor,where people could say that the price is good,for all the peoples,rich and poor.We need a Shop Rite.We need a good store that will leave us with some money in our pockets.

Anonymous said...

I would like A & P to stay. Just becasue they did work doesnt mean they will. The Food Emporium in White Plains on Mamoronceck Ave was expanded (took over two samll stores) and went out ot business months later.

I never said there prices were great. I like them.


I hope that a grocery store comes in where Pathmark is (if they leave(

Anonymous said...

Frankly I don't understand why the blogger is so gaga over Shop Rite.

And as general information, food is obtainable also at most "drugstores" including CVS, Eckerd/Rite-Aid (an unblogged merger topic)and not to not mention K-Mart, Target and Walmart
would be less than informative.

But, for all those store use planners in Greenburgh blogland, here's some more food for thought, the Boards of these publicly owned corporations are all a matter of public record...but how can we sure that none of them are among the Feiner blog faithful and invading this site to advocate a favorable competitive position. Otherwise how can we rationalize anonymous blog entries postulating what should brand should go where the Pathmark is and that the A&P should stay while not even a blogged word about the pending Whole Food Market/Wild Oats merger.

Could we get back to matters that properly concern Greenburgh powers that be and not expect our Town officials to be ex-officio members of corporate real estate department
departments.

Meanwhile, today in the real world, on Route 119 a supermarket wants to open and no one seems to want it...

Anonymous said...

Jeez Sammis you're such a killjoy! You mean our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Town government (Supervisor and part-timers both) isn't responsible for planning food distribution in the people's democratic socialist town of Greenburgh? What are they wasting their time and our money on if not social engineering?

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Samis:

Welcome back into the fray.

I thought that your absence was indicative of a possible break by you from the foolishness that some feel necessary to engage in here.

Unfortunately, too often, good and semi-decent insights here get bashed in efforts to knock the Supervisor on his ideas generally without regard to the quality of his recommendations.

I would ask how many of the complainers and permanently mal-content have similar opportunities to blog on anonymously in their own workplace, no matter how scurrilous their charges, without fear of retribution? For that matter, how many of the towns and villages in Westchester County or the entire country offer a similar forum?

Nice to have you back!

Anonymous said...

I shop at the Pathmark at least twice a week. I grant that it is slightly run-down compared to Pathmarks I have been to in N.J. My unscientific observation is, however, that its prices are lower - particularly for produce - than the A&Ps on Central and Knollwood. The quality of the produce too seems to be generally higher than comparables at A&P and Food Emporium. Pathmark is unquestionably cheaper than the Morton Williams. I particularly appreciate that it is open nearly 24 hours. If A&P doesn't keep late hours, my life will become a whole lot more difficult - and expensive too.

Anonymous said...

"We all know who are the rulers of that avenue.You guessed it ,,,The Edgemont Civic Association."

The urgent concern, however, is the section north of the Edgemont school district line to the White Plains line. I don't know the people of the civic associations in the Edgemont area, but I'd certainly imagine that they'd also want to have an economic development plan for Central Park Avenue, as well, for the benefit of their school system's tax base.

Anonymous said...

5:07 Have you ever been to a Planning or Zoning board meeting.Edgemont is never in favor of anything that would change our tax structure.With all the stores that go up,Edgemont always find a problem.Businesses are always asking for a reduction of taxes,which are granted by the Town Board.When reduction of taxes are granted,the home owners pick up the difference,because the schools get less money.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Anonymous in response to Mr. Lasser et al:

Since you conclude that the "parnership" in White Plains between Stop & Shop and the White Plains government was really the well disguised FEMA response to the starving elderly and low income residents of White Plains and why doesn't Greenburgh act similarly...

Perhaps you should look at the White Plains map and note that the low income housing projects of White Plains are located far away, across from the White Plains Hospital and not anywhere near the Stop & Shop for those needing to buy groceries and generally without transportation to do so. A parking garage is a benefit only to those who can drive and own a car. Furthermore, since the Post Road/North Lexington corridor is itself in an earmarked redevelopment zone, the availability of land for supermarket construction was then and is still substantial. On the other hand, the Stop & Shop is bordered by I-287 which is a considerable impediment for those needing to cross on foot with their shopping carts. And whereas the Bloomingdale/St. Agnes property will doubtless yield future expensive condo development as will the three projects on Maple Avenue, they too will be a considerable walking distance for the elderly and require a steady and sure pace to cross the wide streets (Bloomingdale Road, Westchester Avenue to get to the supermarket on the other side. Directly across from the location is the Westchester Mall and the Container Store, neither are known to shelter or store many low income or elderly residents.
Finally, to the West of the STop & Shop are the many moderate income apartment buildings in neat rows stretching up to and along North Broadway. So like FEMA, the supermarket location is in the wrong place and at the wrong time if it was built out of concern for low income and elderly shoppers. If this were the intention, then I could have suggested alternative locations and certainly not the Stop & Shop brand as the poster child for low prices.

In fact, the location, the parking facility and the brand all came together for a far more less well-intentioned mission than you would attribute to the Delfino dictatorship.

It was really troublesome to market White Plains as the leader of high rise $million+ condos or $4000 monthly 2BR rentals for empty nesters and young professionals in a City of some 56,000 population at night and not having a SINGLE supermarket other than one in North White Plains. It doesn't seem to be much of a selling point to expect these nouveau wealthy urban dwellers to subsist on frozen pizzas from Target as their at-home dining mainstay. And, White Plains has been without a downtown supermarket for almost five years. In fact, the Pathmark on Central Avenue was really assumed to be the supermarket for White. And if you think that White Plains is low income and elderly friendly, then you don't know your local history or the politics involved. In fact years ago, these groups were given the "get out of Dodge before sun-up" routine and dispatched to New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and Yonkers. And if you think that maintaining supermarkets is the responsibility of elected officials and that they do it so well in White Plains, then drive around and hunt for the A&P's (3), Finast, Daitch-Shopwell (reborn as Food Emporium), Food Emporium and know that "former" locations was the condition that existed until the Stop & Shop opened. Meanwhile, how many supermarkets exist in Greenburgh and while how many have closed. So, if you think that White Plains is the role model for good government with regard to providing its population with supermarket shopping, there are still apartments available for your purchase. Contact the Trump Organization.

Finally, to Susan on the West Coast waiting, the nation's best supermarket chain is not the local "Shop Rite" but "Ralph's", home of the w-i-i-de shopping aisle.

Anonymous said...

How about protesting the closing of the CompUSA store on 119? Now Greenburgh geeks will only be able to purchase from Best Buy, CompuAge and Computer Renaissance -two of the three are small boutiquey operations and the third has only a modest department in a vast superstore.

Anonymous said...

1. The Compusa is actually in White Plains.

2. I dont put computers in the same need class as groceries. -- but heh thats just me.

Anonymous said...

CompUSA must be in Greenburgh - all of their shopping carts carry the Greenburgh mantra about not taking them off the property - and cite the Town Code.
As for grocery stores being more necessary than computer stores - there are arguments in favor of each, but you can order groceries on your computer and have them delivered, but you can't lug a computer home from the grocery.

Anonymous said...

looks like the parking lot is in Gburgh, but most of the building is in WP

Anonymous said...

Let me tell you CompUSA would make another good supermarket ,Maybe the address is White Plains but the zip code is in Greenburgh.

Anonymous said...

Zip codes dont matter. Look at the GIS zoning maps etc.

I dont think a grocery store would want that location -- rent likely too high (becuase of traffic) -- too close to competition of Stop and Shop

also -- doesnt someone have a plan to put a grocery store on 119? Does anyone know where??

Anonymous said...

Where is there a Stop and Shop in the vicinity of CompUSA?