DeCicco & Sons Millwood Store Opens Friday
DeCicco & Sons Millwood Store Opens Friday
MILLWOOD, N.Y. — Grocery store DeCicco & Sons will open its latest location in Millwood on Friday, as previously reported by Daily Voice.
Tom Auchterlonie
The store is slated to feature several amenities, noted New Castle Supervisor Rob Greenstein, who announced the date in a Town Board report and in a subsequent press release earlier this month.
“Their 20,000 square ft. store in Millwood will be a sparkling beauty, with a wide selection of the very best quality food and products, complete with a Beer & Wine Tasting Bar, a multi-level Cafe, rotating selections of world-renowned craft beers on tap, a full-service Sushi counter, hot seafood selections …and more!”
The store, located in Millwood Plaza, will mark the end of a 13-month vacancy for the shopping center’s anchor storefront, which began when bankrupt grocer A&P left.
A&P, which filed for bankruptcy in July 2015, held an auction the following October to sell off the leasing rights to its stores. Businessman Ruben Luna made a winning bid of $2.4 million and then transferred the rights to a company called Millwood Merchant, LLC. That company was controlled by Ruben Luna’s brother, Jamie.
The deal collapsed when Millwood Merchant walked away from it.
A&P’s lease was set aside by a federal bankruptcy judge in an April ruling, which allowed for Millwood Plaza’s owner, Millwood Center, LLC, to unilaterally pursue a new tenant.
DeCicco & Sons’ lease was announced by Greenstein in July. At the time, the supervisor credited several community members for helping to bring the grocer to Millwood.
In his latest announcement, Greenstein included statements from members of the DeCicco family and from Steven Wolk, chair of the town’s Sustainability Advisory Board, due to the new store’s focus on energy efficiency.
“It’s the perfect community for us to expand to”, said John DeCicco Jr., the company’s president, in a statement.“This will be our seventh store, and newest one to include the advanced environmental-friendly technologies which are proudly setting the standards of ‘clean & green’ supermarkets throughout the country.”
“DeCicco’s commitment to the communities they serve is very impressive. They will be a real community partner, and are already establishing partnerships with our schools and the Millwood Community Garden,” Greenstein said in his remarks. “Their café will be another community-gathering place. Like I said when this deal was announced, DeCicco’s will be incredible for the Millwood Plaza, incredible for Millwood and incredible for our entire community!
Wolk praised DeCicco & Sons for its environmental practices.
“DeCicco’s is a perfect fit for New Castle,” he said in the release. “Like our town, they do more than just talk about sustainability, they lead. Their zero-ozone hyper-efficient refrigeration system will significantly reduce greenhouse gases.”
Wolk also praised the grocer for supporting the town’s Resuable Bag Initative, which starts on Jan. 1, which is meant to get shoppers to move away from disposable bags.
Greenstein had a lot of praise for the grocer, noting the importance of bringing one back to Millwood Plaza.
“DeCicco’s commitment to the communities they serve is very impressive,” he said in his statement. “They will be a real community partner, and are already establishing partnerships with our schools and the Millwood Community Garden. Their café will be another community-gathering place.”
Deputy Supervisor Adam Brodsky, who was among those who help persuade the grocer to come to Millwood, also offered a statement with praise.
“After many years of our community lacking a full service supermarket, I am proud to have worked with the local business community and the Town Supervisor to entice and welcome a high quality family owned gourmet supermarket to New Castle.”