The five municipal grocery stores set to open in New York City will sell many grocery staples at prices 30% below typical retail costs, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday.<\/p>\n
At a news conference, Mamdani said the program aims to make groceries more affordable for New Yorkers as soaring supermarket prices outpace wage growth.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
The five municipal grocery stores set to open in New York City will sell many grocery staples at prices 30% below typical retail costs, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday
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The mayor said the discount will apply to a \u201ccore basket\u201d of products like fresh produce, meat and seafood, along with pantry staples, dairy products and refrigerated goods
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Prices for those items will be set once a month and remain fixed throughout the month, and will be available to all shoppers regardless of income<\/p>\n
“We know that for many New Yorkers, 30% at the grocery store means something very different,” he said. “Since 2019, food prices have soared at grocery stores around the country by roughly 30%.”<\/p>\n
The mayor said the discount will apply to a \u201ccore basket\u201d of products like fresh produce, meat and seafood, along with pantry staples, dairy products and refrigerated goods.<\/p>\n
Prices for those items will be set once a month and remain fixed throughout the month, rather than fluctuating from week to week. The discounts will be available to all shoppers regardless of income.<\/p>\n
“There will be no exceptions, no gimmicks,” Mamdani said. “The savings will last for the entire month. That means no weekly fluctuations nor sticker shock at the checkout line.”<\/p>\n
City Hall said the discounts are expected to reduce the average grocery bill by about 15%, saving shoppers roughly $90 a month, or around $1,000 a year.<\/p>\n
The mayor said the city is seeking private operators<\/a> to manage the day-to-day operations of the five municipal stores. \u00a0<\/p>\n “Our vision of affordable, well-run, city-owned grocery stores can only be accomplished with experienced operators who know how to source products, stock the shelves and help answer shopper questions,” Mamdani said.<\/p>\n He added that workers at the stores would receive \u201cfamily-sustaining wages and benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n The grocery initiative is a key part of Mamdani’s affordability agenda. His administration has allocated $70 million in the city’s capital budget to open the stores in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation.<\/p>\n The first grocery store is expected to open by the end of 2027 at The Peninsula development in Hunts Point<\/a> in the Bronx, the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center. The mixed-use development will also include 740 affordable housing units.<\/p>\n