Gristedes on Upper East Side to Close July 16

Say goodbye to another grocery store in Manhattan.

The Gristedes at 40 East End on 81st St. and 1st Avenue will be closing July 16 because their rent is too high, according to an employee. The employees at the location said they have been told they will be transferred to another store.

Interestingly, Gristedes recently purchased a large former Food Emporium on 82nd St. and Third Avenue after A&P — which owned Food Emporium — filed for bankruptcy in July 2015. That Gristedes opened in spring.

According to a Sept. 2014 study, Gristedes was the most expensive supermarket chain in New York City.

It's been a rough year for supermarkets in New York City.

Following suit with A&P, Fairway filed for bankruptcy in early May. Fairway's no-longer-unique specialty food selection has created new competition with trendy stores like Eataly and Whole Foods.

And while they haven't filed for bankruptcy, D'Agostino, another grocery-store chain, has closed 17 of its stores and is looking to sell nine more. Three of the remaining stores are located on the Upper East Side.

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