New owner cuts jobs at Riverdale Ave. grocery

Alex Sanchez was restocking the half-empty shelves of the supermarket at 5661 Riverdale Ave. that used to be an A&P Fresh on Oct. 29. 

The store had closed on Oct. 28 and a sign on the door said it was to conduct inventory before becoming a franchise of Key Food, which had purchased several of A&P Fresh’s branches after the company declared bankruptcy.

Mr. Sanchez said the produce section was so empty because employees had to clear out all A&P-brand products. But he had more on his mind than the eventual restocking of products. He fears that his job, at least as it exists today, might be in jeopardy.  

“There’s talk of cutting our hours and even lowering pay,” he said. “I come from the Lower East Side. It costs me $70 per week just to get here.”

The new owner, Kevin Luna, said he has fired eight out of more than 50 employees. He said the remaining ones will keep their salaries the same, but he is not sure about their hours.

Mr. Sanchez said he is unsure whether he will remain at the grocery story, speculating that Key Food’s lower prices may prompt management to lower his total salary. 

“Prices are a little bit lower, but not too big of a change,” he said. “Keeping us here is making the change easier for them, but after that, we don’t know if we are going to stay.”

By Nov. 2, the store, now officially a Key Food, was less empty. Aisles were almost back to full capacity and Mr. Luna was touting plans to renovate and revamp the former A&P Fresh.

“There’s a lot of shelves still empty, but we are getting trucks everyday, deliveries everyday,” Mr. Luna said. “We ask the patrons to be patient. It’s going to take us a few weeks before we get the store the way it should be.”

Mr. Luna, who formerly managed a Key Food on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, said he wanted to preserve as many of the existing employees as possible in order to carry out a smooth transition. Mr. Luna also guaranteed that all remaining employees will retain their current wages. He could not, however, comment on their hours.