Grocers Sue to Block NYC Mayor's City-Run Grocery Store Plan

A coalition of small grocery store owners and business groups filed two lawsuits on Monday, August 24, 2026, seeking to block New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan to open five city-run grocery stores. The Multicultural Business Coalition (MBC), an organization representing hundreds of immigrant and minority-owned businesses, filed the actions in New York State Supreme Court, arguing the plan would harm independent grocers through unfair competition and that the city failed to conduct necessary environmental and community reviews.

The lawsuits allege the municipal stores would violate civil rights laws and the state constitution's Equal Protection Clause by creating a subsidized competitor that small businesses cannot match. The coalition, which claims to represent around 50 chambers of commerce, contends the plan would have a "devastating" effect on neighborhood supermarkets and bodegas, many of which are owned by Asian, African, Caribbean, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and Jewish entrepreneurs. "This is a direct assault on minority business," said coalition president Kenneth Roldan, stating the case is based on antitrust and predatory pricing grounds.