NEW YORK — Stop & Shop said Friday it will close 32 underperforming grocery stores in the Northeast U.S. by the end of the year.
The chain, which is owned by the Dutch supermarket company Ahold Delhaize, said it will close 10 stores in New Jersey, eight stores in Massachusetts, seven stores in New York, five stores in Connecticut and two stores in Rhode Island.
The company said employees at affected stores would be offered other jobs within the company. Asked by The Associated Press how many people are employed at the 32 stores, Stop & Shop wouldn’t say.
Stop & Shop, which got its start in 1914 in Somerville, Massachusetts, operates around 400 grocery stores and has 60,000 employees.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said the closures are a difficult but necessary step to stabilize the business.
“These stores are not making a profit,” he said. “They take away from the whole organization. We need to focus on the parts that we need to invest in and want to invest in.”
Reid said Stop & Shop will continue to build new stores and remodel existing ones. The brand, which has remodeled 190 stores since 2018, will also invest in lower prices and promotions at its remaining stores, he said.
Stop & Shop will continue to have buying power even with fewer stores because of its parent company, according to Reid. Ahold Delhaize operates more than 7,700 grocery stores worldwide, including the Food Lion and Giant brands in the U.S.
Burt Flickinger, a longtime retail consultant and owner of Strategic Resource Group, said many of Stop & Shop's problems were self-inflicted. The brand closed fresh meat and seafood counters in some stores, for example, which cut down on the amount customers spent in those stores.
Stop & Shop is also getting squeezed by big rivals like Walmart and Costco, and discount chains like Aldi and Lidl.
“Wherever a Target, a Walmart a Costco or a BJ’s has been built, a Stop and Shop’s in jeopardy,” Flickinger said. "While they have a plan going forward, I’m not sure the plan’s going to be fully competitive given the intensifying level of competition.”
Reid said Stop & Shop can compete because it has convenient locations, high quality and a good product assortment. Lowering prices will also help the business, he said.
“Our customers love Stop & Shop, and they want us to have a strong future,” he said.
Stop & Shop store closings - Full list of locations
Connecticut
100 Division St., Ansonia
211 High St., Torrington (931 Torringford St., Torrington will remain open)
1937 West Main St., Stamford (2200 Bedford St., Stamford will remain open)
855 Bridgeport Ave., Milford (1360 East Town Road, Milford will remain open)
72 Newtown Road, Danbury (44 Lake Avenue Ext., Danbury will remain open)
Massachusetts
932 North Montello St., Brockton
36 New State Highway, Raynham
341 Plymouth St., Halifax
539-571 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury
165 Needham St., Newton (bfresh Market)
415 Cooley St., Springfield (1600 Boston Rd. and 1277 Liberty St., Springfield will remain open)
545 Lincoln St. Worcester (940 West Boylston St. and 949 Grafton St., Worcester will remain open)
24 Mattakeesett St., Pembroke (125 Church St., Pembroke will remain open)
New Jersey
1083 Inman Ave., Edison
1049 US Highway 1 South, Edison
4861 US Highway 9, Howell
1278 US Highway 22, Phillipsburg
581 Stelton Rd., Piscataway
625 Paterson Ave., Carlstadt
1221 State Route 27, Franklin Township
130 Skyline Dr., Ringwood
505 Richmond Ave, Point Pleasant Beach
2275 West County Line Rd., Jackson
New York
2965 Cropsey Ave., Brooklyn
130 Wheatley Plaza, Greenvale
7 Samsondale Plaza, West Haverstraw
294 Middle Country Road, Coram
240 East Sanford Blvd., Mt. Vernon
132 Fulton Ave., Hempstead
2525 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow
Rhode Island
11 Commerce Way, Johnston
176 Pittman St., Providence (Eastside Marketplace)