Allegiance Retail Services celebrated the grand opening of its newest cooperative member-owned Foodtown supermarket at 960 Halsey St. in the Ocean Hill section of Brooklyn, New York’s Bedford-Stuyvesant, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Oct. 2.
ARS President and COO Samer Rahman congratulated store owner Fouad Elayyan and the 159MP Corp. team, noting that opening a supermarket is a major undertaking requiring hard work, dedication and commitment from many people.
The approximately 12,000-square-foot store sits where Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville converge, with East New York and Cypress Hills nearby, at the Broadway Junction transit and commercial hub — the J train stops directly outside the store’s entrance, with three bus stops nearby.
The store’s assortment is designed to serve the diverse surrounding communities, with international and Hispanic offerings reflecting the neighborhood’s multicultural population and the needs of multigenerational families and young professionals. Fresh departments include an on-site butcher, daily scratch-baked breads and rolls, and a full-service deli with store-made sandwiches, sushi and rotisserie chicken, along with more than 500 SKUs of beer.
Value is a focus throughout, with 24 promotional displays highlighting savings. The store carries Foodtown’s Best Yet private label brand, featuring household staples, pantry goods, dairy and frozen foods, as well as Cadia certified organic and non-GMO products.
Services include online shopping, home delivery, a club card, an on-site ATM and access to food assistance programs, with a full-service fresh flower vendor outside the store.
Iselin, New Jersey-based ARS supports independent supermarket operators with merchandising, marketing, advertising, technology, operations and other retail services through its cooperative structure.
