Fairway Market remains open amid shutdown warnings
STAMFORD — Since filing for bankruptcy in January, Fairway Market has informed the state Department of Labor five times about the possibility of an imminent shutdown of its stores in the city’s South End.
Those warnings have yet to turn into a reality.
Company officials have said they are sending those letters to comply with labor regulations, but aside from those missives they have provided few details about the status of Fairway’s supermarket at 699 Canal St. and the adjoining wine-andspirits store at 689 Canal St. A permanent closing still appears avoidable, and many customers are holding out hope that the South End’s sole supermarket will remain in business.
“The Stamford store is currently operating, and the company is actively seeking a buyer to continue to serve the Stamford community and employ our experienced and professional Stamford team,” Charles Farfaglia, Fairway’s senior vice presito dent of human resources, said in an email this week in response to an inquiry from Hearst Connecticut Media.
He did not specify how long Fairway planned to keep the store open or elaborate on the efforts to find a buyer.
Numerous warnings — but no shutdown
On July 17, in his most recent letter to the labor department, Farfaglia outlined a July 31 to Aug. 14 time frame for possibly shutting down in Stamford.
“The company continues anticipate that ‘plant closings’ will occur at the Stamford stores and that the entire stores will be closed,” Farfaglia said in the letter. “Any ‘plant closings’ that occur at the Stamford stores are currently expected to be permanent, as are all employment losses at these stores.”
Farfaglia used identical language in a June 19 letter that had outlined plans to permanently close between July 3 and July 17.
He also sent letters on May 15, April 7 and Jan. 24
that warned of a potential shutdown and layoffs. Estimated job losses in the event of a closing have ranged between approximately 100 and 150, according to labor department records.
In his past two letters, Farfaglia cited “delays relating to the company’s efforts to wind down its operations.” He did not elaborate in those correspondences on the reasons for those delays.
Responding in his email to a question from Hearst Media about why Fairway had sent the letters without having shuttered the store, Farfaglia said the letters “are issued in compliance with Department of Labor regulations.”
Under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, employers with more than 100 full-time workers must give 60-days notice of a “plant closing” or mass layoff.
Thomas Madden, Stamford’s economic development director, said Fairway would continue to send letters to the labor department “until they either have a new buyer or close the store.. I am confident that there will be a buyer for the store.”
If the supermarket were to close, Madden said that “we are already set up with the ‘quick response team’ from the state, job fairs and retraining programs for employees.”
Other parties have been tight-lipped about the store’s future.
Building and Land Technology, the owner of the Fairway site and the developer of the mixed-use Harbor Point area that encompasses the property, declined to comment.
A mesage left this week for Ron Petronella, secretarytreasurer of Westport-based Local 371 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union that represents Stamford Fairway workers, was not returned.
Impact of bankruptcy
The bankruptcy, which marks Fairway’s second in the past five years, has ushered in sweeping changes at other Fairway locations.
Farfaglia also warned in his May letter of permanent closings of Fairway’s stores in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Douglaston section of Queens, N.Y.; Plainview, N.Y.; and Westbury, N.Y., if buyers were not found.
The Douglaston, Red Hook and Westbury establishments are still operating as the company continues to seek buyers, Farfaglia said in his email.
Late last month, the Long Island Press reported that the Plainview supermarket was closing.
In late March, Fairway Market announced winning bids for seven of its locations.
Village Supermarket acquired for approximately $76 million four Manhattan stores and Fairway's production and distribution center in Bronx, N.Y.
A “Seven Seas Georgetowne” bought for about $5 million for Fairway’s store in the Georgetown section of Brooklyn, N.Y., while Amazon paid $1.5 million for the leases of its stores in Paramus, N.J., and Woodland Park, N.J.
Fairway subsequently announced that the Paramus store would close permanently on May 15. The company “continues to anticipate that a ‘plant closing’ or ‘mass layoff ’ will occur at the Woodland Park store and that the entire store will be closed,” Farfaglia said in his May letter.
Amazon, the owner of Whole Foods Market, did not immediately respond to a message this week asking about the New Jersey locations and whether it would consider buying the Stamford Fairway.
Local favorite
While Fairway is a New York City founded-and-headquartered firm, it has become popular in lower Fairfield County since the 2010 Stamford launch in a then-new building.
It comprises Fairway’s sole location in Connecticut and the only supermarket in the South End. The nearest fullservice grocery store is the Super Grade A ShopRite one mile east, at 200 Shippan Ave.
Fairway has proved indispensable to many shoppers since the start of the coronavirus crisis. Stamford resident Susan Weicher said she frequents the establishment for a number of reasons, including the breadth and quality of its products, its friendly customer service, its senior-discount days, and its expansive store that makes social distancing easier.
“If the Fairway in Stamford were to close, I am sure I will not find a comparable shopping experience within the same proximity,” Weicher said. “My hope is for new owners to acquire and keep Fairway.”