The Caldor-turned-Superfresh-turned-Key Food Superfresh (whoa, that's a mouthful!) in Plainsboro was recently condemned! The Key Food closed over the summer "for renovations", as the operator, Kevin Kim, had switched suppliers from Key Food to Parade; most notably ending the use of Key Food's names in place for Freshway. Kim said that the Plainsboro location would undergo serious renovations... but is this what he meant? Only time will tell. The store is still currently closed, and has practically no sign of reopening again. However, the store is not for lease yet... he did something similar in the former Garwood Pathmark.
Previous coverage of the Plainsboro location can be found here.
Oof, maybe they just say they are renovating so people don't get angry. My idea is to demolish the building because it is "unsafe" And what supermarket would Plainsboro prefer?: Acme or Shoprite?
ReplyDeleteThe operator changed affiliations... it's not just renovations. I think the building was deemed unsafe while the store was still open, if I remember correctly. Kim and his team definitely removed some structural supports when they were working on it originally back in 2017; the building seems empty and almost cavernous. Supermarkets, especially of this size, usually have tons of supports!
DeletePlainsboro would honestly prefer neither... Superfresh was a great fit because it was nice and normal. It is a very wealthy area, so if this is going to keep the Key Food affiliation, they should definitely put in a Food Emporium. If Kim is going to put in "Freshway" (his own banner, it seems), it might succeed if he makes it a full American supermarket.
I honestly think PSK Supermarkets (Paul & Sidney Katz; Noah Katz) [if the building is for lease again] should open a Foodtown.
Acme wouldn't do well here at all! People would complain about the prices, and (sorry Acme) they wouldn't run a proper store.
ShopRite would do well, but they already have a location in the town next over from Plainsboro.
Yes, Freshway is Kim's own banner. Right now there are only two -- 375 Tompkins Ave, Staten Island, NY and 289 Bergen Blvd, Fairview, NJ.
DeleteRipco still lists SuperFresh as "now open" on their website, so the space probably isn't up for lease yet.
By the way, the PSK name comes from the founder's name, Paul Sydney Katz (Sydney is his middle name). Noah Katz runs the business today.
+Zachary
DeleteWow, I thought he had more than that! I know New Brunswick is still a KF affiliate, correct?
I actually contacted the real estate agent at Ripco; he said they have a long-term lease, so I don't think we'll see them leave so easily.
Funny, I had read somewhere that it was Paul & Sidney Katz, but I might be wrong.