By: Jeremy Murphy Stores Angered By Investigative Report
(Mediaweek) An investigative report by the New York Daily News probing
the cleanliness and safety of grocery stores in the five-borough
area has sparked an advertising backlash, with two major chains
suspending their ad buys with the Daily News and several
others considering their own pullbacks.
The May 3 cover story, headlined "Dirty Shame," relied on state
inspection reports to rate the city's worst grocery stores. "More
than half the city's supermarkets failed inspections because of
vermin, filth and rotting food," read the cover headline.
The supermarkets reacted immediately. "Several (supermarket
chains) called that day to express more than anger," said Mike
Rosen, vice president/general counsel for the Food Industry
Alliance, a trade association representing 800 food retailers.
"Our clients were perturbed -- it made it appear you were likely
to become ill just by coming in to buy food." Already two large
chains, Gristede's and Associated Supermarkets, have temporarily
suspended their advertising with the paper.
"We've pulled them," said John Catsimatidis, chairman of
Gristede's. "Nobody minds facts being presented, but when you
know the facts and write something else -- we were very upset."
Catsimatidis estimates the Daily News will lose $50,000 a
week in ads because of the series, a figure Daily News
executives will neither confirm nor deny.
Harry Laufer, president of Associated Supermarkets, which has 140
stores in the New York City area, is mulling whether to suspend
his company's ads indefinitely. "We haven't made a final decision
yet," Laufer said. Krasdale Foods, owner of C-Town, Aim's and
Bravo supermarket chains, is also deciding whether to pull its
ads indefinitely from the paper.
Officials at the Daily News would not disclose which
chains pulled their ads or what impact the cancellations will
have on the paper.
Copyright 2001, Editor & Publisher.
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