Supermarket Boss Threatens to Close Stores if Socialist Candidate Wins
New York, woensdag, 25 juni 2025.
In a remarkable confrontation, John Catsimatidis, CEO of Gristedes supermarkets, has threatened to close his stores in New York City if Zohran Mamdani wins the election. Mamdani’s controversial proposal for city-managed supermarkets has provoked fierce resistance from retail entrepreneurs. The candidate aims to lower food prices through municipal supermarkets but faces criticism from the business community who consider his plans economically unfeasible. The threatened supermarket closure illustrates the tense relations between Mamdani’s socialist vision and established retail interests in New York City.
Supermarket Boss Threatens Closure
John Catsimatidis, CEO of Gristedes supermarkets, threatened last Wednesday to close his stores if Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral election [1]. His threatening statement reads: “If New York City becomes socialist, I will certainly close, sell, relocate, or franchise the Gristedes locations” [2].
Controversial Election Proposal
Mamdani’s controversial election promise includes creating a network of city-managed supermarkets to lower food prices [3]. The plan envisions these stores would not pay rent or property tax, enabling them to offer cheaper products [4].
Business Community Reactions
Various business leaders have issued strong criticism of Mamdani’s plans. John Borthwick, CEO of Betaworks, stated that Mamdani “has no idea what it takes to run a city government” [5]. Frank Garcia, national chairman of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, confirmed that entrepreneurs are “extremely concerned” about a potential Mamdani election [6].
Election Developments
In the Democratic primaries, Mamdani secured 47.677 percent of the votes last Tuesday, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo [7].