SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For the third time in a row, Rancho San Miguel Market's grand opening in Oak Park is delayed while the owner is citing both construction worker attendance and shipping delays.
Bill Cote, president & CEO at PAQ, Inc., the company that operates the Rancho San Miguel Market chain, explained in an email why the store's grand opening is once again being pushed back.
"We are equally experiencing shortages in staffing in our stores," Cote said in an email to ABC10. "Attendance is down, Covid is up. Everyone who is working is working hard."
Rancho San Miguel Market was originally scheduled to open at Broadway near Stockton Boulevard in October of 2021 and was initially pushed back to Jan. 26 because of construction and supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic. The new opening date is March 2.
Rancho San Miguel Market will be located at what used to be a Food Source. Community leaders said the area desperately needs a grocery store.
Michael Benjamin II, a board member of Oak Park Neighborhood Association, told ABC10 after the second grocery store's delay that Oak Park had been a food desert for some time.
"People are looking to be able to go somewhere locally and get food that they can afford," Benjamin said. "It's a problem, especially for Black and Brown people."
