D'Agostino Plans Special 75th

LARCHMONT, N.Y -- D'Agostino Supermarkets, a fixture in many New York City neighborhoods, said yesterday it is celebrating its 75th anniversary in business by "offering lots of specials, lots of fun, and lots of history and tradition that give New York its own special character."

On tap are in-store flyers being created especially for the occasion, and which will include rare archival photos; the first Annual NYC Best Bagger Competition, which will be held in stores on Sept. 27, with finals on Oct. 4; and a slate of D'Agostino "Goin' Green" events, about which the company promised further details in the near future.

The company was founded by two brothers, Nicola (Nick) and Pasquale (Patsy) D'Agostino, from L'Aquila, Italy who came to America in the mid-1920s; worked as pushcart peddlers, mill workers, and apprentice butchers; and finally scraped together enough money to open a small grocery store on Lexington Ave. and 83rd Street in Manhattan in 1932.

The retailer said it was a pioneer in the full-service grocery store concept, and early on included such amenities as trained butchers in the meat department and the option of home delivery.

D'Agostino today is the only New York-based supermarket chain in the metropolitan area to carry a full line of Certified Humane meat, poultry, milk, cheese, and eggs. It was the first New York-based supermarket chain in the metropolitan area to install carpeting in one of its stores. The concept is now being tested at its Chappaqua, N.Y. location, but will soon to appear in all D'Agostino stores, according to the retailer, which maintains that it's "softer for the customers, and spills really do pick up easier."

The grocer has also recently launched a revamped Web site offers delivery within three hours from a real store, with real people on hand to field questions and offer assistance.

D'Agostino Supermarkets operates 18 stores, 15 in Manhattan and three in Chappaqua, Cross River, and Rye Brook in Westchester County, N.Y
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