By Joshua Burd
A gourmet Eastern European grocery store based in Brooklyn has unveiled its first location in New Jersey, a 30,000-square-foot space in Paramus.
Brokerage firm HUDSON, which represented the operator, said recently that the new Gourmanoff store has opened the business at 221 Route 4. The firm said the store features an array of fresh organic produce, prepared foods and fresh seafood and butcher departments, along with “the largest assortment of caviar, smoked fish and international candies you will find anywhere in the U.S. under one roof.”
HUDSON also touted Gourmanoff’s bakery department with specialty deserts and fresh-baked breads made from dough that was kneaded and half-baked in various Eastern European countries before being shipped to the U.S.
“I am very proud to bring Gourmanoff to (Paramus) for their new flagship specialty gourmet store,” said Jason Gerbsman, the exclusive broker for the operator. “They are absolutely the most innovative specialty market and client that I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”
The store has signed the lease with Oster Properties as part of an expansion from its original location in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood, which is known for its large Russian and Eastern European population. In a competitive supermarket industry, Gerbsman said Gourmanoff separates itself with offerings “that simply cannot be found in other traditional food stores.”
In brokering the deal, Gerbsman also praised Tim Huttleston at Oster Properties, who handled the transaction in-house.
“This was a very complex deal, but ultimately we were able to come to terms and get it done,” he said. “Tim Huttleston at Oster was a big help throughout the process — and getting ownership on board to understand our concept in order to overcome the hurdles to make it all happen.”
