The newly renovated Foodtown of East 204th Street has been serving its Bronx, N.Y., neighborhood since 1956.
PSK Supermarkets, a member of retailer-owned grocery cooperative Allegiance Retail Services LLC, has held the grand reopening of Foodtown of East 204th Street in the Bainbridge section of the New York City borough of the Bronx. According to PSK President and Allegiance board member Noah Katz, the event holds special historical significance for the company.
“This supermarket is at the heart of PSK,” explained Katz. “It is the original store started by my grandfather Paul Katz in 1956 and has undergone significant growth and transformation over the years, expanding from its original 4,000 square feet to its current size of 14,000 square feet.”
The latest renovation, which included an expansion into an adjacent storefront, has resulted in additional frozen food space, an expanded dairy department, a bigger produce department offering organics and more, and a larger deli section featuring cheeses, pasta, soups, hummus and olives. “These new products [throughout the store] speak to the diverse tastes of the local community,” noted Katz.
Mount Vernon, N.Y.-based PSK, which now operates 13 stores in the New York metro region and employs about 1,000 associates, is the only employee-owned supermarket company in the New York downstate region. This transition to employee ownership occurred in September 2021.
“This grand reopening reflects the company’s commitment to serving its community and evolving to meet the changing needs and preferences of its customers,” said Joseph Fantozzi, Allegiance’s president and COO.
Earlier this month, a ground-up Foodtown store opened in Astoria, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. This Allegiance member store is owned by Ennis and Rowhie Said.
Iselin, N.J.-based Allegiance supports independent supermarkets, including Foodtown, Freshtown, D’Agostino, Gristedes, Morton Williams, Pathmark, LaBella Marketplace, Brooklyn Harvest, Market Fresh, Big Deal Food Market, Green Way Markets, and Shop n Bag, by providing them with marketing, advertising, technological and merchandising support, as well as a full line of private label products such as Foodtown, Green Way and Rancher’s Legend.
Foodtown of East 204th Street, NYC