NYC grocers gripe over fruit vendors so close to stores: 'Pick off our customers'

Published

1 year ago

May 27, 2024

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City grocery-store owners are blasting Big Apple officials for allowing licensed fruit and vegetable vendors on the same block as their shops — in some cases fewer than 30 feet away — eating into their profits.

In Forest Hills, Queens, a fruit and vegetable stand is located just 25 feet from a Key Food supermarket on the northern side of Queens Boulevard between 71st Avenue and 71st Road.

“They know they can pick off our customers,” fumed Nelson Eusebio, political director of the National Supermarket Association, which reps 600 Key Food, C-Town, Associated, Bravo and other grocers in the city.

The window alongside the Key Foods has pictures promoting the sale of blueberries and asparagus — while the vendor sells the same fruit and veggies within eyeshot.

It’s just one one example of vendors and grocers operating almost cheek-to-jowl.

There are about 500 licensed fruit and vegetable vendors across the city aimed at providing fresh produce to neighborhoods that lack access, according to the city Health Department, which regulates them.

Fashionable Forest Hills is not a neighborhood with limited access to healthy fruit and vegetables, so to allow such streetside competition is unfair, grocers say — noting the overhead costs they have to pay such as for unionized labor, property and utility bills.

“This is a big burning issue,” Eusebio said. “We’re not against the vendors making a living. But don’t put them next to any store. It’s gotten out of hand.”

Gristedes owner John Catsimatidis said permitting food vendors to locate so close to his stores “destroys our produce department.”

He said it’s just another example of New York being anti-business.

“Business is down. Shoplifting is up,” Catsimatidis said. “A lot of drugstores have closed. Maybe the grocery stores will close.”

Catsimatidis joined Eusebio in lamenting that neither Mayor Eric Adams’ administration nor the City Council have addressed the gripes.

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Forest Hills shoppers were divided on the grocers vs. vendor spat.

Paula, 75-year-old retiree who shops at both, sided with the vendors, saying she has a limited income and needs to watch her spending.

Forest Hills is very, very expensive,” Paul said. “Key Food has everything, but prices are high. At the fruit stand, lemons are cheaper, broccoli is cheaper, tomatoes are cheaper, grapes are cheaper.”

Dont blame the vendor. Theyre looking to survive,” she said. “These supermarkets make a lot of money. They’re selling a ton of products. They make money on everything.

But Shawn, a Forest Hill office worker, said he doesn’t shop at fruit stands and agreed with grocers that putting vendors on the same block is unfair competition.

“Theyre taking business from the supermarket. They should give a percentage of the business to the supermarket,” he said.

The fruit and veggie vendors pay a $200 annual permit to operate, plus $300 to $500 to store their carts — though some keep their tables on sidewalks 24-7.

“It’s definitely competition, but it’s not unfair competition,” said Matthew Shapiro, legal director of the Food Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, an advocacy group.

“It’s true that grocery stores have a lot of expenses, a lot of overhead. But they got a lot in return. Vendors get a fraction of the return. We got vendors, farmers’ markets, grocery stores. There’s something for everyone,” he said.

The city Health Department defended the food-vendor program and brushed off complaints of grocers regarding location.

“Its important for communities to have a good mix of supermarkets, bodegas, farmers markets, green carts, etc. Its easier to make healthy choices when healthy, affordable food is readily available,” a Health Department spokesman said.

Business

Octopus COPs £500m financing boost for electric vehicles arm

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1 hour ago

November 13, 2025

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Octopus COPs £500m financing boost for electric vehicles arm

The electric vehicle-leasing business which forms part of the same group as Britain’s biggest household energy supplier will on Friday announce a £500m extension to its financing war chest.

Sky News has learnt that Octopus Electric Vehicles (Octopus EV) has struck a deal with lenders including Lloyds Banking Group, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Agricole to take its total funding line to £2bn.

The additional financing paves the way for the expansion of the company’s UK fleet from 40,000 to 75,000 cars, and is an extension to a facility agreed with Lloyds in 2023.

Sources said a public announcement would be made at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.

Last month, EVs accounted for 26% of all new cars in the UK, a record figure, while across Europe, more than 1.7 million EVs were registered in September – a 19% jump from the same month last year.

Octopus EV offers an all-in-one package comprising a leased car, bespoke EV tariffs, home chargers and access to Electroverse, which it describes as Europe’s largest public charging network.

“Electric momentum is surging across the UK and Europe,” said Gurjeet Grewal, CEO of Octopus EV.

“Every month, thousands more drivers are discovering just how affordable and enjoyable making the switch can be – and this fresh funding from Lloyds, Morgan Stanley and Crédit Agricole will allow us to bring even more zero-emission cars onto UK roads.”

Keir Mather, Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, said the government had “helped over 30,000 people go electric thanks to our electric car grant since we launched it this summer, saving them cash with discounts of up to £3,750 on new EVs”.

“We’re backing people and industry to make the switch with £4.5bn investment, and it’s great to see industry players like Octopus backing the EV revolution and getting more electric cars out on our roads,” Mr Mather added.

The minister’s comments come, however, amid speculation about a pay-per-mile levy on electric car drivers in Rachel Reeves’s budget later this month.

Octopus’s EV arm also specialises in salary sacrifice schemes, which the chancellor is also reportedly planning to target by reducing or removing tax incentives.

Environment

Autonomous semi truck brand Einride set to go public in $1.8B SPAC deal

Published

1 hour ago

November 13, 2025

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Electric logistics company Einride is set to go public through a SPAC merger deal with blank-check firm Legato Merger Corp. that values the Swedish brand at a staggering $1.8 billion. (!)

A SPAC deal is a transaction in which a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), which is effectively a publicly-traded shell corporation that’s formed solely to raise capital, merges with an operating company to bring it into a public trading market. It’s a process that was popular in the heady, “draw a truck, make a billion dollars” era that saw recently pardoned criminal and alleged sex offender Trevor Milton launch the now-defunct hydrogen truck brand Nikola, and one that offers a faster and sometimes more flexible (read: less regulated) alternative to a traditional Initial Public Offering (IPO).

This week’s deal, however, follows hot on the heels of major autonomous trucking milestones and a solid, billion dollar vote of confidence in Einride — both of which serve to make this deal’s valuation to seem more credible than most.

“We’ve proven the technology, built trust with global customers, and shown that autonomous and electric operations are not just possible, but better,” says Einride CEO, Roozbeh Charli. “This Transaction positions us to accelerate our global expansion and continue to deliver with speed and precision for our customers. The foundation is built, the demand is clear, and our focus is on execution and delivering the future of freight.”

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We’ve written about Einride’s electric fleet operations in Europe a few times, but it’s worth noting that the company is rapidly expanding its human-operated decarbonized logistics operations as well (the company announced a 150-unit Peterbilt 579EV truck order last summer).

Peterbilt electric semi trucks

Einride orders electric truck fleet from Peterbilt — Peterbilt 579EV trucks; via Einride.

“Our proprietary technology stack, purpose built for autonomous operations, combined with our vessel-agnostic approach, provides significant competitive advantages,” comments Henrik Green, CTO of Einride. “With our demonstrated safety record and established ability to operate autonomous vehicles commercially, we are well-positioned to capture the significant market opportunity as the industry transitions to electric and autonomous freight.”

The Transaction values Einride at $1.8 billion in pre-money equity value and is expected to generate approximately $219 million in gross proceeds before accounting for potential redemptions of Legato’s public shares, transaction expenses and any further financing. Additionally, the Company is seeking up to $100 million of private investment in public equity (or, “PIPE”) capital to accelerate growth.

Other notable SPAC deals in the EV space include Lordstown Motors, Proterra, and Volvo spinoff Polestar, all of which have either gone bankrupt or seen dramatic market cap reductions over the last few years.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Einride.

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Environment

BYD undercuts every EV in Australia with the Atto 1, now the cheapest new model

Published

2 hours ago

November 13, 2025

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BYD undercuts every EV in Australia with the Atto 1, now the cheapest new model

BYD is bringing its most affordable EV to the Land Down Under. The Atto 1 arrives as Australia’s cheapest new EV, just as BYD is finding its footing.

BYD reveals Atto 1 EV prices in Australia

The Atto 1 is a rebadged version of BYD’s compact electric hatch, sold as the Seagull in China, the Dolphin Surf in Europe, and the Dolphin Mini in other overseas markets.

BYD’s low-cost electric car arrives as the Chinese auto giant closes in on Tesla, which has dominated Australia’s EV market thus far.

Starting at just $23,990 before on-road costs, the Atto 1 is now the cheapest new electric vehicle in Australia. The electric hatch is available in two trims: Essential and Premium. The Atto 1 Premium, priced from $27,990, before on-road costs.

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The base Essential model is powered by a 30 kWh BYD Blade battery, providing a WLTP driving range of 220 km. Upgrading to the Premium trim gets you a larger 43.2 kWh battery, good for a WLTP driving range of 310 km.

Inside, the Atto 1 features a 10.1″ floating infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a 7″ driver display cluster. The higher-priced Premium trim adds a wireless phone charger, heated front seats, and a 360-degree camera.

BYD also revealed that the Atto 2 SUV starts at $31,990 before on-road costs. The Premium variant is priced from $35,990.

“The Atto 1 and Atto 2 represent the next step in BYD’s vision for accessible, premium electric mobility for Australian drivers,” according to BYD Australia COO, Stephen Collins.

Both will begin arriving at dealerships next month and are expected to see strong demand as some of the most affordable EVs on the market.

BYD-Atto-2-EV — BYD Atto 2 compact electric SUV (Source: BYD)

BYD is closing in on Tesla in Australia after going back and forth as the best-selling EV brand over the past few months.

Through October, BYD sold 19,248 electric vehicles in Australia, according to data from The Driven. Tesla, on the other hand, has sold 23,569 vehicles.

BYD is already outselling Tesla in the UK, parts of Europe, and other overseas markets. With two new low-cost models rolling out, Australia could be next.

Source: The Driven, BYD Australia

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