Community Corner

East Flatbush Pathmark Grocery Store Reopening After 4 Years

The massive Pathmark grocery store at 1525 Albany Ave. will reopen this week under new ownership.

Kathleen Culliton,Patch Staff

EAST FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN -- A massive East Flatbush grocery store that was forced to shut down when its owners declared bankruptcy will reopen this week under new ownership.

The Pathmark at 1525 Albany Ave., between Farragut and Glenwood roads, will soon reopen after a months-long renovation, store representatives said Wednesday.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Flatbush's former city councilman, appeared at a tour of the new store, which he celebrated as a needed addition to the neighborhood.

A2017 report from Hunter College's New York City Food Policy Center found 47 percent of Flatbush residents did not live within a five minute walk to fresh fruits and vegetables, and that one quarter ate no fruits or vegetables in a day.

"All communities need access to a variety of choices when it comes to nutrition," tweeted Williams.

"I was glad to welcome#Pathmark to East Flatbush today to fill a need that we have in this area and neighborhoods around the city.

The original Pathmark shuttered in 2015 when A&P declared bankruptcy, but was able to reopen under the same name after supermarket cooperative Allegiance Retail Services LLC bought up seven stores and the corporation's intellectual property.

John Derderian, president and chief operating officer of Allegiance, promised the new Pathmark would honor the traditions of the original grocery store with some modern updates.

“We all know what Pathmark’s strengths were — wide variety, great promotions and a strong in-stock position — and we’re going to contemporize that," stated Derderian.

"Customers have obviously gone toward digital as well as to heat-and-eat and prepared foods, natural and organic, and more ethnic tastes. So we’ve tried to add all of that to what Pathmark was known for.”

Between 100 and 125 workers have been employed to run the 49,000-square-foot store, which also includes its own parking lot, representatives said.

Allegiance Retail Services runs 120 supermarkets — including Foodtowns, D’Agostinos and Gristedes — in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.