The owner of the New York City-based grocery chain Gristedes pledged to close all his stores if voters elect Democratic Socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to become mayor.
The Gristedes supermarket chain, founded in 1888 and operates 17 stores across New York City.
In an interview with the New York Post, John Catsimatidis declared, “We can’t compete with Mamdani opening city run supermarkets for free,” a reference to Mamdani’s proposal to create government owned and operated grocery stores. “Will Mamdani run the supermarkets with union help? When people start shoplifting, will he even have cops arrest them?”
Catsimatidis added that he would need to relocate Gristedes’ headquarters to New Jersey if Mamdani makes good on his campaign pledge to hike corporate taxes. A relocation would also encompass Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Group that includes real estate and energy entities.
A poll released on Tuesday showed Mamdani holding a narrow lead over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is seeking a political comeback after resigning in 2021 following multiple accusations of sexual assault and harassment. Mandani’s campaign has been endorsed by Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Photo courtesy of Gristedes
