Stop & Shop To Close ‘Underperforming’ Northeast Stores

Stop & Shop reportedly plans to close an undetermined number of its “underperforming” grocery stores across the Northeast.

According to The New York Post, the company has not yet said how many stores it expects to close or when the closures will occur. It shared a company statement that reads, “Stop & Shop will make some difficult decisions to close select underperforming store locations to help ensure the long-term health and future growth for our business.”

The statement also added, “We’ve completed more than 190 remodels to date, which continue to perform well, and we’re committed to continuing to invest in our stores — as well in our prices — to deliver a great in-store experience and great values for our customers.”

WCVB5 reported that the decision was first revealed during an investor presentation held in The Netherlands outside of Amsterdam. JJ Fleeman, the CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, Stop & Shop’s parent company, shared details of the decision.

Stop & Shop set to close underperforming stores https://t.co/uMGYYrta3D

— WWLP-22News (@WWLP22News) May 29, 2024

“As Stop & Shop embarks on its next phase, we will be decisive and take deliberate and appropriate actions to ensure a stable future for the brand,” Fleeman explained. He added that Stop & Shop would “focus on the markets that are most important, including those where the brand has strong density, holds a strong market position, or has stores that are performing well.”

According to WWLP, Stop & Shop has 125 Massachusetts locations, 100 in New York, 88 in Connecticut, 57 in New Jersey, and 27 in Rhode Island. Ahold Delhaize also owns the Food Lion and Giant supermarkets.

Just one month ago, on April 18, 2024, Stop & Shop revealed its Social Responsibility Report. Despite impending store closures, the company appears committed to feeding it forward, promoting healthy living, helping neighbors in need, protecting the planet, and championing diversity and inclusion.

The report reveals Stop & Shop reached a milestone of supporting over 200 in-school food pantries, which serve over 40,000 children and their families. It also diverted more than 78% of its food and nonfood waste from landfills to recycling programs and donated over 21 million pounds of food to local food banks.