Immigrant grocers prepare lawsuit against Mayor Mamdani's city-run supermarket plan

Immigrant-owned grocery operators, organized under the Multicultural Business Coalition, are poised to sue New York City over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s initiative to launch five municipal supermarkets. Coalition president Kenneth Roldan said the group has prepared several versions of the complaint and is deciding whether to file in state or federal court, or both. The legal filings will allege antitrust violations, predatory pricing, tortious interference and possible discrimination by the administration.

The coalition contends that rent-free, tax-exempt city stores offering a 30% discount on basics could force nearby independent grocers out of business. City officials have released a request for proposals, with $70 million allocated and bids due on Oct. 16, targeting two initial sites in Harlem and the Bronx’s Hunts Point. Legal counsel Mark Jaffe and coalition chair Frank Garcia warned of potential retaliation from the mayor’s office. The dispute highlights tensions between the city’s effort to provide affordable food and the survival of existing multicultural businesses.