John Catsimatidis is a Greek-American billionaire who built a diversified empire under his privately held Red Apple Group. Its core is United Refining Company, which operates an oil refinery in Warren, Pennsylvania, and a network of gas stations across the Northeast, giving Catsimatidis a real stake in regional fuel supply alongside his New York real-estate and grocery holdings.
He is also the owner of Gristedes, long one of Manhattan's best-known supermarket chains, and a substantial portfolio of New York City real estate. In 2020 he added a media platform, buying the legendary talk-radio station WABC, where he hosts shows and has shaped programming, and he owns the Greek-American newspaper Hellenic Times.
Catsimatidis is a fixture in New York and national Republican politics, a vocal Trump supporter and donor who has flirted with running for New York City mayor. His daughter Andrea chairs the Manhattan Republican Party, extending the family's political reach. Together his fuel, food, real-estate and media holdings make him an unusually multi-front power broker.
What they control
- United Refining Company: an oil refinery in Warren, Pennsylvania, and a chain of Northeast gas stations (Kwik Fill, Red Apple)
- Gristedes Foods: a major Manhattan grocery chain
- Red Apple Group real estate: hundreds of thousands of square feet of New York property
- WABC radio: a flagship New York talk station he owns and programs
- The Hellenic Times newspaper and aviation interests
- Political influence through donations and Republican Party ties in New York
Key institutions & holdings
Privately held parent of his refining, grocery, real-estate and media holdings.
Pennsylvania refinery and Northeast fuel-retail network.
Bought the New York talk station for $12.5 million in 2020.
Key facts
- Estimated net worth around $4.5-4.8 billion in 2025-2026.
- Owns United Refining, with a Warren, Pennsylvania refinery and a Northeast gas-station network.
- Owns Gristedes, one of Manhattan's largest grocery chains, and extensive NYC real estate.
- Purchased WABC radio for $12.5 million, finalized in 2020.
- Contributed about $515,000 to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign.
- His daughter Andrea has chaired the Manhattan Republican Party since 2017.
Timeline
- 1969Builds his first Red Apple supermarkets while still young, launching his retail empire.
- 1986Acquires United Refining, entering the oil-refining and fuel-retail business.
- 2013Runs for mayor of New York City as a Republican, losing in the primary.
- 2020Completes his purchase of WABC radio and contributes heavily to Trump's campaign.
- 2024WABC ends Rudy Giuliani's program amid a dispute over 2020 election-fraud claims.
- 2025Publicly weighs and then declines a run for New York City mayor.
Controversies
WABC and election-claims dispute · 2024
In 2024 Catsimatidis's WABC dropped Rudy Giuliani's radio show after Giuliani would not agree to stop airing debunked 2020 election-fraud claims, drawing attention to the owner's editorial control.
Mixing business, media and politics · ongoing
Critics note that Catsimatidis combines ownership of a major talk-radio station with active political donations and ambitions, raising questions about the intersection of media power and partisan interest.
Grocery and fuel pricing power · ongoing
His control of a prominent grocery chain and regional fuel supply gives him influence over prices that everyday New Yorkers and Northeast drivers pay.
Network
- Andrea CatsimatidisDaughterChair of the Manhattan Republican Party.
- Donald TrumpPolitical allyCatsimatidis is a vocal supporter and donor.
- New York Republican PartyPolitical networkHe is a longtime donor and power broker.
- WABC hosts and programmingMedia platformHe controls a major talk-radio megaphone in New York.
Why this matters
Catsimatidis concentrates several kinds of everyday power in one set of hands: the fuel that flows through Northeast gas stations, the groceries on Manhattan shelves, blocks of New York real estate, and a major talk-radio station that shapes political conversation. When one owner can set prices for essentials while also funding candidates and steering a media platform, his private choices reach directly into the cost of living and the public debate in the nation's largest city.