The Hub
Collective Purchasing

The cooperative idea emerged after discussions of challenges faced by small immigrant-owned food retailers in the Bronx who need to comply with ever-increasing government regulations for restaurants in New York City and have disproportionally high costs for the purchase and delivery of merchandise and produce when compared to their larger counterparts with stronger bargaining power. Conversations revealed that the retailers would benefit from joint marketing and training efforts that include upgrades to technology and workforce skills as well as regulatory compliance assistance.
The UBC model has a great potential for replication in other sectors that wish to benefit from economies of scale and in neighborhoods where similarly sized and scoped immigrant businesses exist, in New York City and nationally.