A Long Beach supermarket’s name has changed but ownership and some departments will remain the same.
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Key Food opened its doors earlier this month at the former Associated store at 663 E. Park Ave. in the East End. The Brooklyn-based Almonte’s Food Dynasty owns both the Key Food and Associated stores.
“There are still the same owners and people running the store, me, Anabella and Jose,” said the Long Beach store’s co-owner Omar Rodriguez.
The supermarket held a soft opening Feb. 8 and a grand opening a week later. It has kept the same deli, produce and meat departments, but as a Key Food supermarket the store will provide better variety and pricing, Rodriguez said.
“Key Food offers a much more aggressive sales program than what Associated could offer,” he said about the reason for the switch.
Although the building sustained damages during Hurricane Sandy, mainly the roof that has since been replaced, a switch from Associated to Key Food was in the works prior to the storm, Rodriguez noted.
Another Key Food is expected to open at the former C-Town supermarket in the West End, at 1060 W. Beech St., but that store would have a different owner.
Last year, Long Beach native Ben Levine opened a Key Food Fresh in Rockville Centre, an organic-oriented supermarket at the former Waldbaum’s on Ocean Avenue.
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