Super Foodtown on Tuesday evening. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Merchandise and price tags packed into boxes at the Red Bank Super Foodtown in front of a mural that tells the story of the store’s founding.
The store is owned by Middletown-based Food Circus Super Markets, which owns three Super Foodtown stores in Red Bank, Wall and Highlands. The Wall and Atlantic Highlands stores will remain open, the company said.
On Thursday, hours after a query from a redbankgreen reporter about empty shelves in the store, Scaduto Jr. issued a statement apologizing to customers and blaming the conditions on a dispute between management and its supplier.
“Despite what you may have seen on social media it is NOT our intent to close any of our stores as we continue to negotiate with
our primary supplier,” the statement read. “We remain positive that we can remedy the supply issues that we face and we ask for your patience as we navigate getting the stores back to the condition that you need and we expect.”
Scaduto co-owns the store with the Azzolina family, whose roots in the local grocery industry run back 99 years.
The same day, the publication Supermarket News reported Scaduto was stepping down as chairman and CEO of the co-op Allegiance Retail Services, which serves Foodtown and other chains, including D’Agostino, Gristedes, Pathmark and Market Fresh across the Northeastern US.
Over the ensuing days, the shelves at the Broad Street store grew more bare.
A large tract just north of the store, including the Atlantic Club property, is being eyed for a potential townhome development.
That tract includes 13 properties across Wikoff Place from the store, many owned by a corporation headed by Joseph Azzolina Jr. redbankgreen reported in September that developer Roger Mumford was under contract to purchase those properties.
No formal application has been made to the borough for the project.
In recent years, the greater Red Bank area has seen an influx of large scale supermarket chains opening within a short drive of the Red Bank Store, including Shop Rite and Uncle Giuseppe’s in Shrewsbury and Aldi on Newman Springs Road in Tinton Falls.
Here is the full statement issued after our initial report was published:
It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that the Azzolina and Scaduto Families announce the closure of our Red Bank Super Foodtown store on or about close of business on May 23, 2026. Our Atlantic Highlands and Sea Girt Stores will remain open to serve those communities.
Over the last decade the supermarket landscape has changed and competition has been fierce. Our family-owned business found it difficult to remain competitive among an emerging shift toward Corporate and foreign-owned supermarket models. Sadly our 50 year legacy serving the greater Red Bank community will come to an end this month at our Red Bank location due to these market changes.
We regret so deeply the impact of this decision on our valued team members who stood with us and sacrificed for these many years.
With every decision and challenge we faced our team members were at the forefront of our efforts.
Our gratitude is heartfelt to our team members and also our valued customers and vendors who remained loyal to us as we navigated the changing supermarket landscape. It has been an honor to work with you and we hope for only the best for you and your families.Lou Scaduto Jr. President and CEO
Azzolina and Scaduto families
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.
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