By COLlive reporter
Crown Heights grocery entrepreneur Itzik Benabou has sealed the deal Tuesday to buy his debt-strapped competitor The Shuk.
As COLlive exclusively reported, the contract between Benabou and Shloime Ifergan was signed last week for a bit less than a million dollars.
The Shuk, a discount grocery warehouse on 589 E New York Avenue, is the latest addition to Benabou’s growing empire which includes Kol Tuv and Empire Kosher.
In a conversation with COLlive, Benabou confirmed the details. “We are happy about the sale and will keep serving the Crown Heights community,” he said.
Ifergan will keep running the store until the end of the week, when Benabou will come in to evaluate the goods and only after that re-open.
Benabou said it was premature to discuss the plans he had for The Shuk. (Disclosure: Empire Kosher is a regular advertiser on COLlive).
COLlive’s initial report sparked a heated discussion (with close to 150 comments). Some claimed residents took advantage of Ifergan’s credit option that made his debt grow to a few hundred thousand dollars.
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is the shuk going to stop selling pizza and sushi for bellow market price now? let’s think of the other bussinesses in ch as well.
I hope he spruces up the shuk to make THAT one his main store since it is larger and shopping in Empire is usually hard to navigate. the shuk has great potential as a superstore. he’d also have to invest in fixing up the parking situation.
1. Costco isn’t opening in CH, it’s a false rumor. (the purple building is another storage). 2. Hatzlacha Itzik. 3. I have been a loyal Shuk customer since they opened (I paid my credit bill entirely). I must have spent at least 1,000 dollars a week at the Shuk. Thank you Itzik for bailing out Shloimi. All the best Shloimi, I hope Hashem will give you Parnassa easily. 4. I for one will miss the Shuk. I hope Itzik will welcome warmly all the Shuk customers and give noone any reasons to shop out of the neighborhood. (Hint: keep the… Read more »
if only our education system has someone capable at its helm as itik is with his business
Itzick Mazal Tov
God Loves you and the shchuna
you are the best think that hppened to crown Heights
may you set an A trend for others tp look up to
Hatzlacha
they are building on empire near bedford (the purple bldg.), next to AWS building supply
why is everyone so heat up about costco?? they are not gonna sell all the kosher products that itzik does!! and they are not gonna open in ch any time soon, so don’t hold your breaths….
Which empty lot will it be? Nostrand/Montgomery St.., ENY and Rockaway Pkwy or Eastern Pkwy/Rogers
To OUt of CH vs. the Shchuna: It doesn’t make sense to me why the Kollel store OUT OF CH sells our David Elliot chickens for more than $.20 a pound less than our neighborhood butchers. And you want to know why we go out of CH. This is so not normal!!
Also I bought something in a clothing store here that I saw for HALF the price in Target. If the store keepers want our business, LOWER the prices to be reasonable!
WE NEED AN ITZIK IN MONTREAL. OPEN UP AN EMPIRE KOSHER HERE,… YOU WILL BOOM…
WHAT DO OTHER MONTREALERS THINK ABOUT THAT?? MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD ASK HIM>>>???
itzik works like a maniac to get what he has now… it didn’t just come to him on a silver platter…
he also gives alot of tzedaka that pple don’t even know about.
he is a good father and husband and i wish him much success in this new endevour
I agree with supporting our shechuna but not if they will take advantage of me. tell me one good reason why david elliot chicken is cheaper at the kollel than on kingston.. let him leave his high prices and lubavitcher will go to kollel store. I compared three receipts and kollel store is way cheaper. if dיcor means anything to you,bloomingdales has a small grocery corner in its store. I believe in good service and affordable prices, 0something that lacks in ch.
i was walking on Kingston ave about 4 years ago before i went on shlichus with shuk bags in my hand .and i asked him for help with my shlichus and he gave me $500 good tzdakah and needles to say good investment
Friedmans and kollel store deliver don’t let a monopoly take hold. Or only buy essential food. Keep in mind..when one spends $100 a week on non-essintial food that’s $400 a month.. $4800 a year and over the next 120 months it will be $50,000. If you put that $100 a week in a simple mutual fund returning 5% a year your looking at 200K
Stop buying chummus and junk!!!!!!! TODAY
that store in mid of kingston is his storage house for his other trillion stores…
trust me, i dont think he needs another supermarket… especially one down the block from his other, kol tuv.
We got to count our blesing! It could of be another family Dollar store!!!
Is the best Store – Go Kahan’s!!!
how nice of him what about the pepole he’s taking out of business
never opened properly?
Primarily he uses it for storage.
that is space someone else could have used to make $
Ah, may he will use the shuk now for storage and open the one on kingston.
the rebbe wanted the shchuna to grow and this is a good step in that direction! hatzkacha raba r’ itzik
how nice of him
Why do you say he is starting machloikes? How is this starting machloikes exactly? All he did was bail out a failing business.
Is that true?? Is costco really opening in CH? I find that hard to believe. Where will they be opening? When?
Please answer – this is great news if its true!
I couldnt afford to shop in Crown Heights before the shuk, and got used to driving to costco and KRM once a week.
Now we’ll have to get used to it again.
I’m not gonna waste my hard earned money.
PPLs, dont you see? There is no point in him wasting all his money buying out al these stores because very soon, a Costco is opening in CH and they have amazing prices, ECT! Costco is everything and EVERYBODY will shop there when it opens! Good luck but I for one, even though I’d love to give you hatzlacha, would no doubt shop in costco since it is cheaper and you get lots of great specials if you are a member and so on! Sorry to break it to you! Also, why did he buy Empire Kosher and the Shuk… Read more »
I cannot beleive that any one would shop out of Crown heights when there are fellow neighbors that need the business.
One thing I learned from my father is you always support local business. ITs only right. These are our family members.
If not for us who will?
Kahan’s is the only store I will shop in. Its like family,
They are nice, helpful and they deliver.
Why not support a buisness that has been around in the community forever???
if you realize soon he will not be helping crown heitghts just ruining it and making big machlokes
I shopped at the SHUK and EMPIRE KOSHER- BOTH AT DIFFERENT TIMES-to give them all a chance. I also went to one of the smaller groceries also. I believe in SUPPORTING EVERYONE- SO I WENT TO BOTH MEGA STORES. I personally never found shuk to be so bad as people make it sound. It was not dirty, its just that the empire kosher was more modern. (remember Associated) this was nicer obviously, to get the customers! Shuk did us a favor that you can buy the specials without spending a certain amount. WE NEED TO THANK HIM FOR THAT. In… Read more »
want to buy out the hole word good luck wal mart stapels home depot toys are us gap old navy all for sale
I for one, an going to miss Shlomi and the rest of the Shuk staff.
Sorry to see you go. Thanks for the years of good service.
So much for the accuracy of “No Deal for Shuk Sale” LOL
TO all the negative comments out there….Work hard, you’ll have it too. Dont just sit there and critisize, your obviously jealous.
NOW HE CAN DO ANY PRICES HE WANTS WITH NO ONE TO STOP HIM. PRICES WILL GO THRU THE ROOF
I have shopped in Empire Kosher since he opened. No other store can compare.
Lets hope he makes the Shuk a decent place as well.
I just hope he doesnt raise the prices on us, that would be dumb bec. then everyone will go out of the neighborhood to shop and noone will win.
Now he really has an Empire.
Itzik is true mentch and gives alot of tzedakah. He deserves the success.
Kol Tuv and Hatzlacha Rabba on your Empire.
Can we get stocks in benabou’s company?
giving peope credit is not a way to run a business – we don’t need amatures here. our local economy will collapes that way
So if I buy something in Empire Kosher wil I be able to return it in the Shuk?
This is not good for the community
Itzik is a true example of someone who works hard and BH is successful. He is a great guy and I happen to know he is a baal tzedakah.
May Hashem give you success in this and all your future endeavors.
Wow he is buying up the whole Crown Heights
It’s is going to help CH when one owner has that kind of a buying power, it will help him get good deals, which hopfully he will past down to the shoppers.
Good Luck!
Will the shuk stay open? Thats what I want to konw.
will he keep it open or not?
I heard he might close it down altogether?
ITzik, much hatzlacha!!!!!
Why doesn’t Itzik just buy Kahans and all the rest of the grocery stores while he’s at it. Heck, why not all of Kingston? Just make it one big store!
so what happaned now, what changed??
so I guess people did not come in to pay shlomi what they owed him after all… a shame that he couldnt make it work. and now ther e is no compitition. serves the comunithy right for going to BP to shop instead of suporteing the shchuna.
So this is a real monopoly now.
Get real people.
This is not good for the neighborhood.
Let the price gouging begin…
We are so happy for you.
Much Hatzlacha
– a loyal customer
I dont care what anyone else says I think this is a good thing.
Itzik changed the way we shop in Crown Heights -for the better. hopefully he will fix up the place and give the same experience as Empire Kosher.