Stop & Shop will shutter seven stores in the New York City area and 32 overall as inflation-battered shoppers seek cheaper supermarkets, the company said on Friday.
The struggling chain, owned by Dutch conglomerate Ahold Delhaize, had said it was planning to close “underperforming” stores in May, with industry experts estimating as many as 50 would shutter, as The Post reported.
The Quincy, Mass-based company will close four stores on Long Island — in Greenvale, Hempstead, East Meadow and Coram — along with one location in Brooklyn, and in Westchester and Rockland counties by Nov. 2.
The other closures will come in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, totaling 8% of all stores.
“[We’re focusing on] delivering lower everyday prices and strong promotions,” the company said in a statement on Friday.
USA chief executive JJ Fleeman had previously said, “The value proposition and pricing at Stop & Shop are simply not strong enough.”
Shoppers pay between 12% to 14% more at Stop & Shop, according to Burt Flickinger of Strategic Resource Group, a grocery consultant. But consumers became fed up with the chain during the pandemic when inflation was soaring.
Some 3,800 union workers, represented by the UFCW, will be displaced but will be offered jobs at nearby locations, according to John T. Niccollai, president of local 464A, which represents 12 of the stores closing in New York and New Jersey.
The company doesn’t plan to lay off any workers because there is high turnover, Niccollai added.
