N.Y.C. Groceries

New York City is increasingly becoming unaffordable for working New Yorkers. When the cost of everyday necessities rises faster than paychecks, families feel it most at the checkout counter. In moments like these, City government has a responsibility to step in—especially when the market is not delivering affordability on its own.

N.Y.C. Groceries is a new initiative to bring down the cost of everyday groceries and household staples, strengthen neighborhood food access, and demonstrate a new role for public sector leadership in food affordability. Drawing on proven models, N.Y.C. Groceries treats access to affordable food as an essential public service.

How the Program Will Work

N.Y.C. Groceries is a City-led, publicly accountable network designed to deliver affordable food and reliable access. The City sets the mission, standards, and store design; experienced third-party operators run the stores day to day under those requirements.

• The City, through NYCEDC, will provide the foundation and deliver grocery-ready sites, cover rent and property taxes, fund initial buildout, and establish a single public brand for all N.Y.C. Groceries locations. The City will also set clear requirements for affordability, job quality, transparency, and performance.
• Operators will be responsible for all daily aspects of store operations, running full-service stores that meet high operational standards, reflect neighborhood needs, and consistently deliver low prices on a core basket of essential goods.

Where the Stores Will Be Located

Selecting the locations for stores matches need with the ability to reach New Yorkers consistently, sustain operations, and deliver real affordability over time.

The City will establish five N.Y.C. Groceries stores—one in each borough—prioritizing City-owned sites wherever possible. To support this effort, the City has committed $70 million in capital funding for store construction and fit-out.

As of May 2026, the following sites have been selected as N.Y.C. Groceries locations:

Manhattan: La Marqueta

Located in the heart of East Harlem, La Marqueta supports more than 20 small businesses—including restaurants, art vendors, and community programming—and employs approximately 120 people. One of its many spaces will be leveraged to house the N.Y.C. Groceries store, which will serve this diverse neighborhood.

Bronx: The Peninsula

Located in Hunts Point, The Peninsula is the multi-phase redevelopment of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility. The 20,000-square-foot N.Y.C. Groceries store located within The Peninsula is anticipated to open in 2027.

Remaining Sites

In May 2026, the City opened an online portal that invites private property owners or their authorized representatives to recommend sites for consideration as locations for N.Y.C. Groceries stores in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. The portal is intended to support early identification and screening of potential sites, and to inform next steps in the development of the initiative at large.

Our Vision

N.Y.C. Groceries will establish a first-of-its-kind model in major US cities: City-owned supermarkets with private grocery store operators with a mandate for lower prices, improved access, and clear standards for quality and accountability. Each N.Y.C. Groceries store will be open to all New Yorkers, not means tested, and offer meaningful discounts on a core basket of fresh produce and essential foods.

N.Y.C. Groceries is not a stand-alone initiative. It is designed to work alongside existing stores and strengthen the broader food and grocery ecosystems that New Yorkers rely on every day.

The Road Ahead

Moving forward, the City will continue engaging experts, advocates, community partners, and everyday New Yorkers as the administration finalizes sites and designs stores. Public input will help shape both store locations and the products on their shelves.