What’s New at Atlantis Fresh Markets?

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — Jimmy Kochisarli, co-founder and vice president at Atlantis Management Group (AMG), got his start in the business at his family’s convenience-stores in New York.

He, along with business partners Tumay Basaranlar and Jose Montero, started the company in 2005 and today own more than 200 locations, including about 75 company-operated ones. About 30 of their stores are branded Atlantis Fresh Markets, and that number is growing as they renovate and acquires more stores.

The company doubled its stores in 2017 when it acquired Food Bag, a c-store chain and CITGO-branded petroleum marketer that included more than 50 sites.

The Mount Vernon, N.Y-based chain has stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.  

Kochisarli spoke to CSP Daily News about the company’s growth, new delivery app and its foodservice and snacks offerings. Click through to read more …

Noting that Atlantis is a young company, Kochisarli said, “We’re continually in growth mode.” While it does have some new builds, acquisition is AMG’s primary mode for growth.

When it acquires new stores, if there is enough potential at the site, the company will convert it into a Atlantis Fresh Market-branded site. There are about 15 remodels and rebrands currently in process, Kochisarli said.

Kochisarli added that the company will continue to focus on growth in the Northeast for now.

“We believe that those areas are good areas,” he said. “It fits our model. We have a good grasp of the market that we’re in between the four states that we operate in. And we’re also looking to continue to grow there, because what we like to do is operate our own stores, as well. We like to keep them as close as possible.”

When the pandemic hit, AMG worked with third-party delivery services to provide goods to customers who were stuck at home. But in June, it launched its own Atlantis Fresh Delivery application.

“Using these third-party apps is quite expensive,” Kochisarli said. “It’s quite expensive for the end user. And it’s also very expensive for the retailer, as well. And we believe that we could serve our customers better by using our own app.”

The app service, created by AMG’s own technology team, is available at all Atlantis Fresh Market stores. There are no delivery fees for users, and prices on the app are the same as what customers will find in the store, Kochisarli said. AMG promises customers they’ll get their products in less than 30 minutes.

“Right now, it’s just getting the app out there and getting it to people,” he said. “It’s not about making money today. It’s more about servicing the customers and getting more people on the app and getting comfortable with it.”

Next on the chain’s innovation to-do list is a loyalty program that will be tied into the delivery app.

When customers enter an Atlantis Fresh Market store, its designed to feel like they’re in a Brooklyn market, Kochisarli said. This means using reclaimed wood on the walls, white subway tiles and chalk boards to note daily specials. The model for future c-stores can be seen at the Atlantis Fresh Market flagship store in Midtown Manhattan, which is a converted BP gas station and c-store.

Aside from looking like a neighborhood market, Atlantis carries products that cater to the area it’s in. If a store is in a Jewish neighborhood, for example, it may have a Kosher section. Stores in a Jamaican neighborhood will carry Jamaican products, Kochisarli said.

“We get an idea of who our customers are [and] what type of things they’re looking for,” he said. “And we try to ... create a section” for those customers.

Bestselling products include empanadas made offsite at a commissary kitchen—along with all of the chain’s foodservice products. Other popular items include private-label packaged snacks, water, baked goods and more.

Based in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Atlantis Fresh Market ranked No. 91 in CSP’s2021 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the country.