New York City billionaire and supermarket owner John Catsimatidis reacted sharply in June when Zohran Mamdani — who campaigned on creating a low-cost, city-run grocery store in each borough — won the Democratic mayoral primary. Catsimatidis held a press conference with bodega owners, publicly threatened to shut down his more than 30 stores if the democratic socialist won, and criticized him on national television. “He’s not qualified… this is silly,” he said on FOX News, likening Mamdani to Fidel Castro and calling the proposal “one big con game.”
He also contacted President Trump, who publicly supported him. “He actually wants to take over the grocery stores of John Catsimatidis, who’s a great guy, a rich guy,” Trump said, referencing a conversation between the two. “He actually called me the other day, he’s concerned his stores are going to be taken from him, and they won’t be run like John runs them.”
Now that Mamdani has won the general election, Catsimatidis remains troubled by the direction of the city. “I think a lot of business people are reducing their exposure to New York City,” he says. His Red Apple Group — which generates $7.8 billion in revenue and includes a Pennsylvania oil refinery, hundreds of convenience stores, and extensive real estate holdings — had been preparing to move its headquarters to New Jersey if Mamdani became mayor. But after Tuesday’s election outcome in New Jersey, where Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the governorship, he abandoned that plan. “New Jersey didn’t go the right way,” he says. He is now exploring “friendly states,” with Florida at the top of the list. “The key word is a common sense place to do business in.”…