Crunch Fitness, other tenants to replace Coram Stop & Shop, official says

Crunch Fitness is set to open in part of the former Coram Stop & Shop, whose closure left the area with fewer options nearby to find groceries.

Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico announced on Facebook Thursday that the former 66,194-square-foot Stop & Shop would be split into two spaces, fully renovated, and that a Crunch Fitness would open in one of the new spaces. The other could become a children's activity center, though Panico noted that plan was not yet finalized.

Panico expects the new owner to submit renovation plans this month, and that the town will hold a public hearing on the site plan in the fall, he told Newsday Thursday morning.

In July 2025, Stop & Shop announced it would close 32 "underperforming" stores by November, including the 294 Middle Country Rd. store in Coram. The location had been open for 20 years, Newsday reported.

Panico told Newsday on Thursday that the new owner could bring a smaller grocery store to the eastern side of the plaza, but it was too soon to say if those plans would come to fruition.

"We are 100% interested in helping facilitate the location of a grocery store in the Coram community," Panico said. "But ultimately the market is what drives the ownership and tenancies in retail settings."

Indianapolis-based owner Kite Realty Group sold the 138,385-square-foot plaza for $12.5 million in April, according to property records and a company news release.

Three companies — 264 Middle Country Rd LLC, Jontay LLC and Wek Investments NY LLC — purchased the property, records show. A representative for Wek Investments declined to comment.

Panico told Newsday that the new owner is AVGI, a Bellmore-based real estate investment company, according to AVGI's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. AVGI lists space at Coram Plaza for rent on its website.

An AVGI listing for the property notes that a more than 35,000-square-foot Crunch Fitness will open at the start of 2027, and that new ownership is "executing a comprehensive redevelopment program" that will include renovating the facade, improving signs and adding new tenants, according to AVGI's website.

Crunch Fitness has seven locations on Long Island, with five in eastern Suffolk County.

Representatives for AVGI and Crunch Fitness did not immediately respond to requests for comment.