Rulli Blasts NYC's $70 Million Grocery Plan, Predicting 5 Stores Fail Within 5 Years
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 5
Rulli Blasts NYC's $70 Million Grocery Plan, Predicting 5 Stores Fail Within 5 Years
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 5
Summary
Mike Rulli, an Ohio Republican from a grocery-owning family, said New York City's planned municipal supermarkets would "bleed red" and may not survive even a year, let alone five.
The criticism targets Mayor Zohran Mamdani's $70 million plan to build 1 city-run store in each of the 5 boroughs by 2030, with monthly prices on core goods set 30% below typical retail levels.
Rulli argued that grocery economics make the model unsustainable, saying stores run on roughly 27% gross margins and only about 1.25% to 1.5% net margins after expenses.
He said the subsidized stores would undercut hundreds of small groceries — many immigrant-owned — while shifting operating losses onto taxpayers.
The plan has won progressive support but drawn business opposition, with the Multicultural Business Coalition reportedly threatening a lawsuit.