Shoppers not thrilled about impending closure of Stop & Shop location in Flatbush
NEW YORK -- A supermarket in Brooklyn is set to close next month. The move is leaving shoppers concerned about access to fresh food.
CBS2 spoke with residents in Flatbush on Monday.
For many customers, there is high praise for a Stop & Shop in that section of the borough.
"Because everything is fresh and everything is up to date, and that's what I like about this," Frank Hazard said.
So news of the store's imminent closing is a tough pill to swallow.
"That's not fair to us as a community because we need this. It gives us fresh food and the price is good," Mary Wright said.
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Stop & Shop told CBS2 in a statement the company "made the difficult decision not to renew the lease at our Flatbush store."
The location will close on Jan. 19. The company said that Food Bazaar will be taking over the space.
However, residents and community advocates are worried the new store may not provide the same quality of foods at the same prices.
Food Bazaar operates just more than two-dozen stores in the Tri-State Area compared to Stop & Shop, with has more than 400 supermarkets.
Some fear the void left behind could result in a food desert.
"I don't know. Where will I shop now? I'll have to drive farther out," Gloria Thomas said.
"If you look at Flatbush as a whole, there are not enough grocery stores where people can get quality food at a good price," said David Alexis of the group New York Communities for Change.
Alexis said people shouldn't have to travel even farther for food.
"We plan to hold whoever comes here accountable to ensure that, once again, we have what we need," Alexis said.
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As for employees of the closing store, most said they will transfer to other Stop & Shop locations.
A woman named Valerie has worked at the Flatbush location for 14 years. She said, "Shoot, I do a little bit of everything, okay?"
She added Stop & Shop has been loyal to her, so she will remain loyal to the company.
Stop & Shop officials said the company waited to leave the space until another supermarket was committed to taking it over.
