NYC upscale supermarket chain Morton Williams sold to ShopRite owner

NYC upscale grocery store chain Morton Williams offered to ShopRite proprietor

New York City upscale grocery store chain Morton Williams shall be acquired by ShopRrite proprietor Wakefern Food Corp., the businesses said Thursday.

The grocer, based by the Sloan household since 1952, will continue to function its 17 Big Apple areas under the Morton Williams banner, co-owner Avi Kaner told The Post.

“The companies we compete with like Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Whole Foods are much larger than we are,” Kaner said. “We didn’t have the [deep pockets] of the larger players to continue growing here.”

Morton Williams operates 17 shops within the NY metro space. Christopher Sadowski

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Both firms are privately owned.

Wakefern, a $20 billion wholesaler owned by 40 households that function ShopRite shops and other manufacturers, plans to increase Morton Williams within the New York metro area and eleshwere, Kaner said.

It operates more than 360 shops within the Northeast.

Morton Williams was among a handful of unbiased grocery chains that had been left in New York City.

The grocery store sector has been under siege in recent times from shoplifters, consolidation and rising competitors.

Discounter Trader Joe’s and Amazon, which acquired Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion, have been aggressively increasing within the metropolis.

Avi Kaner is a co-owner of Morton Williams. X/AviKaner

Gristedes, which is owned by billionaire John Catsimatides and operates about 30 shops within the metropolis, acquired household owned D’Agostino’s in 2016.

In 2020, Wakefern also added Fairway Market.

The Morton Williams deal was inked Wednesday and is predicted to shut by Sept. 30, Kaner said. 

The firm employs more than 1,000 employees who’re represented by local 338 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store union.

Shoprite shops are owned by Wakefern Food Corp. Christopher Sadowski

“This acquisition is an incredible opportunity to continue the legacy of a storied New York City grocer while building on the business and adding even more product offerings, value and quality for shoppers,” said Wakefern President Mike Stigers in an announcement. “Wakefern is committed to honoring the traditions of Morton Williams.”

Morton Williams was based by brothers Joe and Irving Sloan within the Bronx. Joe’s sons Morton and William expanded the enterprise into Manhattan. Its now run by the third era including Kaner, who’s Morton Sloan’s son-in-law.

Morton Williams opened its seventeenth retailer last yr at 68th and Broadway, finalizing the deal during the pandemic.

“We would have negotiated for another five stores during that time,” Kaner said. “But we didn’t have the bandwidth to do that.”

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