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QUEENS WEEKLY, AUGUST 30, 2020
As of Aug. 13, the former Fairway, located at 242-02 61st Ave., in Douglaston has officially become part of the Food Bazaar supermarket chain, which includes about two dozen locations in the
tri-state area. Courtesy of Food Bazaar
Douglaston Fairway transforms into Food Bazaar
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
After acquiring Douglaston’s
Fairway supermarket
last month, Food
Bazaar began transitioning
the store to look more
like its locations throughout
the tri-state area.
Bogopa Enterprises,
which owns Food Bazaar,
made a deal with Fairway
on July 15 to purchase the
bankrupt grocer’s locations
in Douglaston and
Red Hook, Brooklyn, after
failing to sell at a bankruptcy
auction earlier this
year, according to Edward
Suh, executive vice president
of Bogopa/Food Bazaar
Supermarkets.
“This opportunity
came along for us to grow
as a company, and Fairway
is an iconic brand and
we felt that the Douglaston
location made sense for us
as far as the communities
that our existing stores
serve,” Suh said.
On Aug. 13, the former
Fairway, located at 242-02
61st Ave., officially became
part of the Food Bazaar
supermarket chain, which
includes about two dozen
locations in the tri-state
area. Under the sale agreement,
the company was required
to retain Fairway’s
unionized employees, according
to reports.
Food Bazaar was established
in 1988 opening its
first store in Lefrak City
at 97-27 57th Ave., according
to Suh, expanding to
other neighborhoods such
as Jackson Heights, Long
Island City and Ridgewood.
Referencing the company’s
mission statement
“Feeding Your Way of Life”
Suh said they’re proud to
embrace and celebrate all
cultures, providing a diverse
international selection
of ethnic food items.
Shoppers can expect to
see Fairway signatures,
such as the store’s vast selection
of in-house roasted
organic coffee from countries
like Indonesia, Jamaica,
and other places
known to produce quality
coffee beans, according to
Suh.
“That’s an area that we
historically have not ventured
into and thought it
would be a good learning
experience for us,” Suh
said. “The aroma is fantastic
and customers love
it. If we have the space,
we’ll be implementing the
coffee roasters at our other
locations,” Suh said.
The company is hoping
to alter their strengths
in offering the best fresh
meat, seafood and produce
delivered from Hunts
Point in the Bronx at an
affordable low price.
While businesses are
continuing to adapt to the
new normal in the age of
COVID-19, Food Bazaar
has implemented strict
protocols to ensure the
safety and health of its employees
and shoppers.
All shoppers must wear
a face mask while in the
store and all employees are
equipped with face masks
or face shields, gloves and
hand sanitizers. Stickers
are placed on the floor to
promote social distancing
followed by announcements,
and plexiglass has
been installed at each cash
register to prevent cross
contamination.
Additionally, the carts,
baskets, cases, door handles
and other equipment
and machinery are disinfected
regularly by service
clerks.
“For our service counters,
which we shut down
for a while, we also put
plexiglass barriers in the
open area above the service
counter case,” Suh
said. “We’ve relaxed some
of those measures going
back to some degree of normalcy,
but we are prepared
to respond quickly for the
safety and well being of our
employees and customers.”
For shoppers who prefer
to order their groceries
online, Food Bazaar is live
on Insta-Cart or they can
visit the company’s website,
FoodBazaar.com.
Looking forward, the
company is planning on
renovating the store in
phases during the next
three to six months to
offer an improved firstclass
shopping experience
for the Douglaston community
and surrounding
towns.
The upgrades include
fixing the parking lot, polished
concrete floors, new
decor and cases, prepared
food vendors, and becoming
more energy efficient
along with keeping the
fresh produce and fruit
tasting better and longer.
Suh said they’re hoping
the community is patient
in regard to certain disruptions
that may occur.
Most of the renovations
will take place overnight,
but some sections in departments
may be closed
off until the work is complete.
“We are keeping the
core staples of what made
Fairway, but at the same
time improving every other
facet of the store,” Suh
said. “It’s exciting for us,
and we want to do right by
the community for more
bank in their buck and a
better shopping experience.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4526.
/FoodBazaar.com
