In the News: Matos’ mission to bring more grocery stores to RI

Published on Monday, February 09, 2026

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Providence Journal today published a column reporting on Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos's work to lower grocery costs in Rhode Island by increasing competition. An excerpt is below:

"This year, Matos again plans to push a package of legislation nicknamed “the Fair Price Grocery Agenda.”

Among other things, it would crack down on restrictive covenants that make it hard to open new supermarkets. The goal isn’t to retroactively cancel existing covenants – at least for now – but to prohibit new ones.

While some cities nationwide have banned scorched-earth covenants, Rhode Island would be the first state to do so. 

After Washington, DC, cracked down on the practice, 20 new grocery stores opened in Washington in five years, according to local officials. 

Making it easier to open new supermarkets could translate to lower grocery prices, Matos’ office argues. 

A recent working paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that communities with higher market concentration suffer more from inflation. Poorer communities, which have fewer retailers, see more dramatic fluctuations in rising food prices."

The rest of the article can be read here: https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/09/ri-politics-stop-and-shop-walmart-woonsocket-restrictive-covenants-sabina-matos/88406227007/