A Hispanic-led grocery chain has opened a store in the former Lowe’s Foods location on East Andrews Avenue.
Compare Foods, a New York-based chain, began business in Henderson right after Memorial Day.
According to its Web site, the chain was founded by Eligio Pena in October 1989 in Freeport, N.Y. The chain was concentrated in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island until it recently expanded to North Carolina.
The store provides a welcome option for shoppers in the eastern and northern parts of Henderson. The only other supermarket on Andrews Avenue is the Food Lion at the Cardinal Shopping Center next to the fairgrounds.
“Compare Foods works hard to better the communities which it serves,” the Web site reads. “It sponsors and supports local groups such as churches, youth services and non-profit organizations. It constantly looks to make the neighborhood and its surrounding areas a better place to live.”
City Council member Lonnie Davis, whose Ward 4 includes the area around Compare Foods, said it will be nice to have a choice for shopping.
The supermarket also is a significant addition to the growing Hispanic economy in Henderson and one of the few Hispanic-run businesses that appeal to the general public while also providing products aimed particularly at Latinos.
Shopping at Compare Foods is like shopping at any grocery store, but with a greater variety of products and produce in some areas. Some of the prices are higher than comparable items at Food Lion; most are in line with the prices elsewhere.
Jacob Ramirez, part of the store’s management, was too busy on a recent Tuesday to talk about Compare Foods, but in the company’s first couple of weeks in Henderson he has already experienced an unfortunate part of the local economy: shoplifting. A police report on file Monday showed that someone tried to victimize the store during its first week of operation.