Corrado's Served With Eviction Notice In Brick

BRICK, NJ — The owners of Corrado's Market have been served with a final eviction notice, bringing to an apparent end the plans to bring the grocery store to Brick Township.

A copy of the final notice, dated June 8, was taped in the windows of the storefront in Laurel Square Shopping Center sometime Thursday, and come just two weeks after a spokesman for the company said the Brick store would be opening July 4.

Telephone and email messages to Corrado's corporate office and to the company's attorney, Michael DeMarco, were returned Monday morning.

The eviction notice comes after Brixmor Laurel Square filed a renewed complaint against Corrado's for nonpayment of rent, according to court documents. That complaint, filed June 2, is seeking more than $1.5 million in back rent, "failure to operate" charges and a host of expenses from Corrado Family Markets.

Brixmor Laurel Square, the owner of the shopping center, first filed suit against Corrado's in September seeking payment of $841,099 in back rent and "failure to operate" charges, according to the documents.

A settlement was reached in January, with Corrado's agreeing to pay the back rent, finish the work inside the store including electrical and getting shelving installed, and start operating by April 1.

Corrado's sought a stay of the eviction proceedings in May, according to the documents posted on the store's windows, but that stay was denied by Superior Court Judge John M. Doran.

The complaint Brixmor filed June 2, seeking a final eviction judgment against Corrado's, references ongoing court actions that led up to its request for the eviction order. Information on those actions is not available because of a law that removes those records from public access.

In the June 2 court documents, Brixmor said the grocery store company had failed to meet any of the requirements laid out in the Jan. 18 settlement.

The June 8 notice posted on the storefront warns anyone entering the store would be charged with trespassing.

The store has been under development for several years, and was originally scheduled to open in 2020. The Corrado's website for the Brick location still says "we're making progress! Look forward to our 2020 opening."

The store, at the former Pathmark site was anticipated to have a wine and beer store next door under the Corrado's name. The June 2 court documents include a provision that says Corrado's must transfer the liquor license to Brixmor for a future tenant to use.