Armonk Rocked By Loss of A&P; CVS Signs Lease

A petition drive has begun in Armonk as members of the downtown business community and concerned residents are rallying to save the A&P Supermarket on Main Street and prevent a CVS Pharmacy from moving into the property.

The grassroots effort was launched within a few days of last week’s sudden announcement by North Castle Supervisor William Weaver confirming that property owner Werber Management plans to end its month-to-month lease with the supermarket chain and has reached an agreement with the Rhode Island-based CVS.

Armonk residents and merchants were hit hard by the news amid fears that the hamlet would be left without a supermarket and the downtown business district could be devastated.
“The reaction by people is that we’re all shocked and appalled–devastated–that not only will we be losing our supermarket but this is going to put Town Center Pharmacy out of business,” said Judy Willsey, who owns Framings on Main Street with her husband, Carter, and is one of the stores carrying the petition. “The is the worst possible thing that could happen.”

The petition that began circulating last Thursday appeals to Werber Management to maintain a supermarket at the site–if not A&P then another company–and informs the property owner and CVS there would be a boycott of the new store should it move in.

Town officials said Werber Management did not mention when A&P would vacate the property. The Examiner placed calls to Werber last week but a woman answering the phone said that no one would be available to respond to questions until after the holiday weekend.

Town Pharmacy part owner Abe Rutman said he is appreciative of the town rallying behind him and other stores that would be hurt. He is uncertain whether his pharmacy, which has been in business 11 years farther north on Route 128, would be able to withstand the competition from CVS.

“Only the future will tell us that,” Rutman said. “We’ll certainly try our hardest.”

Weaver stated that representatives from the management firm had informed him last Monday that it was a “business decision” to enter into a lease with CVS on April 14 and end its relationship with A&P because of concerns regarding the supermarket chain’s financial health after its highly-publicized bankruptcy proceedings resulted in company restructuring and store closures. He also said the property owner plans to bring a green grocer to the site.

However, in March, A&P’s parent company, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, released a statement with assurances that it had secured an $800 million line of credit from JP Morgan Chase. After restructuring it expected to emerge from Chapter 11 proceedings in a stronger position and would continue to operate without interruption, company officials said at the time.

Last week, the company’s Montvale, N.J. headquarters issued another statement saying the landlord didn’t give it an opportunity to negotiate a new lease or even inform the company that a lease had been signed with CVS. The roughly 20,000-square-foot store has operated in Armonk for more than 40 years.

“Though we tried many times to extend our lease so that we could make investments in our store, the landlord unfortunately has signed a lease with CVS, without our knowledge or any attempt to negotiate with us,” the statement read in part.

The company also mentioned that a new location for A&P would be sought but gave no possible locations or time frame.

In 2009, Werber Management had plans before the town to renovate and enlarge the Armonk A&P to about 35,000 square feet along with adding other retail space, but would have needed various approvals from the town, including relaxed parking requirements.

Last July its representatives announced they were no longer pursuing those plans.
Fallout from the loss of the hamlet’s only supermarket is just beginning to take shape. Councilwoman Becky Kittredge said if A&P left Armonk shoppers would likely be forced to choose between the Shop-Rite in North White Plains or Mount Kisco’s A&P. But she said there is no guarantee the CVS would be allowed to move in since it would need a permit from the town board to allow a change of use for a space larger than 5,000 square feet. If A&P leaves, then the currently-stalled Armonk Square site could be an alternative location for a supermarket, she said.

Kittredge was also highly critical of Werber Management, which she said has no connection to Armonk or the town.

“He can do this because Mr. Werber doesn’t care about this community,” Kittredge said.

Councilwoman Diane Roth decried the looming loss of the supermarket and said she doesn’t want CVS moving into Armonk since it would threaten other businesses in town, most notably the pharmacy. But Roth blamed Weaver for failing to act decisively when Werber Management was before the town. She also said Weaver is now dragging his feet with local developer Michael Fareri’s proposal for a 24,000-square-foot supermarket on Business Park Drive.

“We had to do the deal,” Roth said of the lost opportunity with Werber. “Bill Weaver, he blew the deal.”

A public hearing on Fareri’s controversial plan originally scheduled for Wednesday night’s town board meeting has been postponed. He said he needed more time to refine the plans causing him to ask for the hearing to be rescheduled.

Fareri, who didn’t know how the loss of A&P would affect his plan, said those who have opposed his proposal because of fears that a market on Business Park Drive would drive shoppers away from downtown, will now have to face the consequences of having to leave town to shop. Fareri has been in negotiations with DeCicco Family Markets in hopes of bringing the store to his property.

“It would have been better to have two supermarkets then have none,” he said. “Now we have the worst thing to have happen–we have none.”