Bogopa Service Corp., operator of Food Bazaar Supermarkets, is acquiring 14 of Western Beef’s New York-area stores, including four on Long Island. This deal will expand Food Bazaar’s presence to seven stores on Long Island, reflecting ongoing consolidation in the regional supermarket industry.
The Blueprint:
Bogopa Service Corp. acquiring 14 Western Beef stores
Four Western Beef stores on Long Island included in deal
Food Bazaar will have seven stores on Long Island post-acquisition
Western Beef now 100% employee owned via ESOP
Queens-based Bogopa Service Corp., the parent company of Food Bazaar Supermarkets, is acquiring most of Western Beef’s New York-area stores, according to industry sources.
Terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed.
Sources say Bogopa is in contract to buy 14 of Western Beef’s 19 stores, including four on Long Island. The transaction is expected to close within the next few weeks.
Executives at Bogopa and Western Beef have not responded to requests for comment.
There are 38 Food Bazaar stores throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, with three on Long Island in Brentwood, Westbury and Hempstead, according to its website. With the acquisition, Food Bazaar will expand its Long Island presence by adding the Western Beef stores in Carle Place, West Hempstead, Elmont and Roosevelt to its growing supermarket chain.
Bogopa was founded by Korean-born Francis An in 1988 with one store in Queens, according to its website. After spending many years living in Argentina, An moved to New York where he saw a need for a store that sold ingredients used in Latin cuisine, and that spawned his supermarket business.
Western Beef, which opened its first warehouse-style supermarket in Flushing, Queens in 1980, now has 19 stores in the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Nassau County. Earlier this year, the company created an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and now labels itself as 100% employee owned. It’s unclear how the Bogopa acquisition will affect the status of Western Beef employees, however, an employee who did not want to be named told LIBN that they will keep their jobs with the new ownership.
The Bogopa acquisition of Western Beef stores is the latest example of the continuing shakeups and consolidations in the area’s supermarket industry. Earlier this month, the acquisition of the 96-year-old King Kullen supermarket chain by Giunta’s Meat Farms closed, adding 24 King Kullen supermarkets and four Wild by Nature natural foods markets to the Giunta’s chain, which operated 10 stores on Long Island. In 2018, Lidl US acquired the 27-store Best Market grocery chain, which had 24 stores on Long Island.
Stop & Shop, the largest operator of supermarkets on Long Island, closed five of its Long Island stores between 2022 and 2024, as its parent company Ahold Delhaize continues to shutter underperforming locations throughout five states. Shop Rite now has 16 supermarkets after closing its West Babylon store in 2021.
Closings and consolidations have opened the door to new chains that have expanded here in recent years. Aldi now had 17 supermarkets on Long Island and Lidl has 20, with many of those converted from Best Markets. Trader Joe’s has eight Long Island locations and is seeking to open more stores here.
After the deal for the Western Beef stores closes, Food Bazaar will have 52 New York-area supermarkets, including seven on Long Island.
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