Food Bazaar, a Brooklyn-based grocery chain touting international fare and community involvement, opened Monday its second location on Long Island at the former Fairway in Westbury.
The supermarket will continue providing the products that have proven popular at Fairway, including gourmet cheeses and meats, olives, in-house roasted organic coffee, specialty all-natural, organic, dairy, frozen, and grocery items as well as kosher goods — while adding Food Bazaar’s selection to the store’s shelves.
“We plan on keeping all the signatures that made Fairway a Fairway,” said Edward Suh, vice president of Food Bazaar’s parent company, Bogopa. “We plan on keeping all of that but then adding to and improving the perishable side and hopefully having people walking out with a lot more for their money because of our pricing.”
The company, which launched in Queens in 1988, opened its first LI location in Brentwood in 2016. It recently acquired and converted Fairways in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx after Fairway went bankrupt this summer. Food Bazaar has 28 stores across the tri-state area, with a 29th on the way in Manhattan.
“We are one of the largest retail buyers in the Hunts Point Produce Market and seafood market,” Suh said. “That allows us to provide the highest-quality, freshest items at lower and affordable costs.”
He touted the staff’s commitment to service, such as steaming a fish or lobster upon purchase. He added that the company’s history of serving diverse New York City neighborhoods helped Food Bazaar deliver harder-to-find foods from around the world.
“We developed a know-how into international and ethnic items as well, like sauces and spices and different items that those who immigrated here could not find here but were used to finding back home,” Suh said, noting that no two Food Bazaar stores are alike.
He also touted the company’s community involvement, support for neighborhood nonprofits, scholarship offerings, and hiring of local residents as part of its mission, epitomized by its motto: “Feeding Your Way of Life.”
Suh noted that Food Bazaar staffers wear masks, practice social distancing, sanitize store facilities regularly, and are adding acrylic walls to service areas to reduce the possibility of contamination. The store also offers online ordering through its website, foodbazaar.com
“Fairway was a great brand,” Suh added. “We plan on learning their strengths and creating a synergy with our existing operations to offer a better shopping experience for our customers — especially for the Westbury community.”
Related Story: Plainview Fairway Market Closing As Grocery Chain Shutters
For more business coverage, visit longislandpress.com/category/business
