ShopRite in West Babylon closes over profitability, brand owner says

The ShopRite in West Babylon closed Thursday because it was unprofitable, according to the company that owns the brand.

Located at 64 NY-109, the approximately 60,000-square-foot supermarket opened 16 years ago.

"We appreciate the loyalty of our customers and the dedication of our store associates who have worked hard to serve the community," said Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, New Jersey, that owns the ShopRite registered trademark.

The store employed 100 people, who will be offered the chance to transfer to jobs at the ShopRite stores in Massapequa and Bay Shore, Wakefern said.

The West Babylon store "struggled to reach a sufficient sales level to make the store profitable. That led to the difficult decision to close," Wakefern said.

Wakefern supplies groceries and support to nearly 280 independently owned ShopRite stores in six East Coast states.

The West Babylon store was owned and operated by Susan Buonadonna, who also owns the two ShopRites in Massapequa and Bay Shore, according to ShopRite’s website.

Buonadonna could not be reached for comment.

There are 15 remaining ShopRite stores on Long Island.

Also, a new ShopRite will open in Huntington in the first quarter of 2022.

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.com@ToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.