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The Fresh Grocer has launched its first New York location on Long Island.
The sister brand to ShopRite opened Aug. 23, at the Lighthouse Commons shopping center in Oakdale, located on Montauk Highway.
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The store, in development since January, is owned and operated by K. Thompson Foods, a Long Island family-run company with three generations of grocers who operate ShopRite stores in Riverhead, Deer Park, and Uniondale.
“This new store continues to showcase our commitment to offer incredible value, quality and service, along with the convenience of a smaller format grocery store,” said Ken Thompson Sr., president of K. Thompson Foods.
The ownership team also includes Ken Thompson Sr.’s son, Ken Thompson Jr., grandson, Ken Thompson III, and daughter, Danielle Johnston.
This Fresh Grocer location in Oakdale spans 26,000 square feet. In contrast, a typical ShopRite location measures 70,000 square feet or more.
The store provides freshly prepared meals, groceries, and produce in a supermarket format. This includes sections such as a full deli (with Boar’s Head products), seafood, sushi, bakery, butcher, fresh produce, grab-and-go, and floral.
“What differentiates us from other smaller footprint stores is that we can leverage the buying power of ShopRite,” said Ken Thompson Jr. “Now you have a smaller store, fresh-driven around the perimeter, where you can also go in the aisles, do a full shopping trip, and save money.”
There are currently 24 The Fresh Grocer locations in the United States, with all of them being located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The Thompson family completely renovated the space, both inside and out, at 885 Montauk Highway. They also enhanced the parking lot, cleaned up the welcome sign at Lighthouse Commons, and repaired its fountain.
This is a full-circle moment for Thompson Jr., who began his grocery career in 1985 as a cart pusher just up the road in Bohemia, where Guinta’s Meat Farms is now located. At that time, it was a ShopRite.
“It’s a family business,” said Thompson Jr. “I’ll be here every day. My son will be here every day. My father and sister, they’ll be here every day. You become part of the community that you’re serving.”
The Lighthouse Commons — also home to the CM Performing Arts Center, the Oakdale Brew House, a post office, and other retailers — had been without a supermarket for well over three years since the independently owned Fresh Food Supermarket closed. Fresh Food had opened in June 2019 but only operated for about seven months before the pandemic hit.
Before that, Best Yet Market occupied the space, but in 2016 it moved to a larger location on Sunrise Highway in Oakdale, which is now a Lidl that opened in October 2020.
Like ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer operates as a cooperative.
Photo tour
