NYC Grocers Sue Mamdani Over Planned Government-Owned Supermarkets

Immigrant grocers and bodega owners are taking Mayor Zohran Mamdani to court over his plan to open five government-owned supermarkets across 🗽New York City.

According to the New York Post, the Multicultural Business Coalition, which represents 50 chambers of commerce serving ethnically diverse businesses, filed two lawsuits in 🗽New York state court Monday.

One is a proposed class-action lawsuit representing “hundreds” of store owners who say they belong to groups that have historically faced discrimination.

The seven-page class-action complaint argues that the city-owned supermarkets could violate the civil rights of existing business owners if the plan moves forward.

A second, 13-page lawsuit compares Mamdani’s proposal to the threat posed by Walmart, which has faced years of resistance from 🗽New York politicians and labor unions over concerns that its deep discounts could hurt smaller retailers.

The filing points to the city’s promise to sell basic grocery items at prices 30% below market rates, arguing that the discounts could rival or exceed Walmart’s pricing.

The lawsuit claims the city-owned stores could “eliminate an untold amount of opportunity for minority businesses and small business at large.”