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A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 22 Aug 2010 17:56
by MikeRa
A&P announced that they are closing 25 stores. Here's a partial list that was posted at Ames Forum:
  • A&P - Maplewood, NJ
  • A&P - Berlin, CT
  • Pathmark - Marlboro, NJ
  • Pathmark - Little Falls, NJ
  • Pathmark - Fort Lee, NJ
  • Pathmark - North Bergen, NJ
  • Pathmark - Garden City Park, NY
  • Pathmark - North Brunswick, NJ
  • Pathmark - Bristol, PA
  • Pathmark - Belleville, NJ
  • Pathmark - South Plainfield, NJ
  • Pathmark - Union, NJ
  • Pathmark - Monsey, NY
  • Waldbaum's - Centereach, NY
  • Waldbaum's - Levittown, NY
There are also 2 other Pathmark stores in the Philly area that are slated to close

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 22 Aug 2010 18:51
by BillyGr
A few others from various updates on the Ames board:

A&P - Lodi, NJ
A&P - East Brunswick, NJ
A&P - Woodbridge, NJ
A&P - Yorktown Heights, NY

Pathmark - Millville, NJ

That brings it up to 20 of the 25.
Since the original story also said in 5 states (so far only listed are NY, NJ, CT and PA) there is at least one state missing, so probably one (or more) Superfresh stores in either DE or MD?

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 22 Aug 2010 23:50
by Jared
A&P is in trouble, along with a poor economy makes for a bad senerio. There's a rumor of a second but smaller wave of store closings in the new year.

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 23 Aug 2010 00:18
by Ephrata1966
Jared wrote:A&P is in trouble, along with a poor economy makes for a bad senerio. There's a rumor of a second but smaller wave of store closings in the new year.
A&P and Pathmark both seem stuck in 1975. For A&P, they blew it all sky high. I think someone even wrote a song about it that charted that year. Just kidding! For Pathmark, they were still the latest thing and not going by "Super Center" yet. Pathmark's stores are incredibly dated, but I think they were doing fine until A&P came along. They did try to sell out to Ahold in 2000. The antitrust authority blocked the deal, due to Stop & Shop/Giant/Giant's size.

At least A&P had a groovy new logo!

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 23 Aug 2010 01:54
by RoleModel
BillyGr wrote:A few others from various updates on the Ames board:

A&P - Lodi, NJ
A&P - East Brunswick, NJ
A&P - Woodbridge, NJ
A&P - Yorktown Heights, NY

Pathmark - Millville, NJ

That brings it up to 20 of the 25.
Since the original story also said in 5 states (so far only listed are NY, NJ, CT and PA) there is at least one state missing, so probably one (or more) Superfresh stores in either DE or MD?
2 SuperFresh in MD - Towson and Wheaton.

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 23 Aug 2010 04:43
by JoshAustin610
Also the Broomall, PA Pathmark; the one article said three in the Philly area, but I only count two so far (Bristol and Broomall). There are consistent rumors about the Super Fresh stores in Blue Bell and Lansdale however; these are two of the three remaining former Clemens stores bought by A&P in 2006.

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 23 Aug 2010 15:09
by Ephrata1966
Millville, New Jersey is the third in the Philly area.

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 20:30
by catnapped
JoshAustin610 wrote:Also the Broomall, PA Pathmark; the one article said three in the Philly area, but I only count two so far (Bristol and Broomall).
Wasn't that the store (Broomall) that was flooded a few years back and rebuilt?

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 20:41
by Ephrata1966
Hell no! That one was one of the first Pathmarks, right in my neighborhood. Most likely it was built around 1965 as a ShopRite, and was last remodeled in 1993 or 1995.

The Bristol store I would estimate to be from at least 1982. Next to it was a Big Lots that was once a JCPenney. The AutoZone here was once a longtime Philly chain called ABC Auto Parts.

I was at the Towson store a few months ago. Towson is actually a rather rich neighborhood not that close to Philly, Baltimore, or DC. But I overheard what sounded like a drug deal in the stairs to the upstairs restrooms!

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 03 Sep 2010 10:05
by rich
Towson is adjacent to Baltimore City.

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 02:56
by RoleModel
A&P is selling 7 more stores to Big Y, including the last non-NYC metro Waldbaums in West Hartford.

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 19:54
by BillyGr
RoleModel wrote:A&P is selling 7 more stores to Big Y, including the last non-NYC metro Waldbaums in West Hartford.
The other 6 being sold are: Old Lyme, Branford, Mystic, East Haven, Middletown and Naugatuck.

This leaves them with 5 A&P's (Danbury x 2, Greenwich, Riverside, Stamford) and 1 Food Emporium (New Cannan) in CT, which are those closest to their NY/NJ base

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 14:28
by RoleModel
This takes them below 400 stores now, doesn't it?

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 16:40
by Ephrata1966
My question is, how does A&P survive at all anymore? I will have to infer that the unions keep them afloat, such as the deal that created the Super Fresh division. Here is a list of notable A&P store closings/name changes/sell-offs:

1. 1969: A&P abandons the West market after only 10 years; A Mart banner debuts

2. 1971: The company, fallen on hard times, debuts the WEO name

3. 1972-1974: A&P closes 800 stores?

4. 1975: Over 1000 more stores closed?

5. 1976-1981: More closings; in Philadelphia market all stores are converted BACK to regular A&Ps, albeit with a new logo, "Plus" stores debut?

6. 1982: Philadelphia division closed, replaced by Super Fresh eventually; Chicago division closed

7. 1993: A&P closes last PA stores with the exception of Super Fresh. The Centennial in Lehighton near Jim Thorpe stayed open as A&P until 1993! That store became a Fay's drugstore, then Eckerd, and the rest is history. At the same time, Acme sold their last stores in that region to local chain Insalaco's. Many of these were at one point Super Saver. The same stores were later sold to Bi-Lo, and most to Price Chopper in the end.

8. 1998-early 2002: Plenty of Super Fresh closings (many still abandoned), some sold to Kroger. Albertsons was also closing stores during this time, many of which were new, but also some Acmes. The Houston Albertsons (most very new) were also sold to Kroger during this time.

9. 2005: Canadian division sold to local chain Metro, keeps A&P name at first

10. 2007-2008: The local Rouse's chain acquires remaining New Orleans Super Fresh stores and a 1920s! A&P; some in PA convert to Pathmark Sav-a-Center, A&P name finally replaced by Metro in Canada

11. 2009?: Margaretville, NY A&P closes, becomes Foodtown

12. 2009-2010: Last Central PA Super Fresh closes (former Futurestore in Etters, between York and Harrisburg), along with the identical store in Bristol, PA; Super Fresh in Pottstown, PA; and three of the six acquired Clemens stores

13. 2010: Say goodbye to Towson, MD Centennial Super Fresh and Broomall Pathmark!

I hope A&P doesn't drag down Pathmark like Food Fair did Penn Fruit, or Albertsons did with Acme. And for the record, you can find even more former A&Ps. They had thousands of early ones which were upgraded from 1955-1965 I hear.

One classic A&P still open is the tiny Centennial in Pluckemin, NJ. Too bad they had to "upgrade" the classic New Providence, NJ store. The Marlton, NJ Super Fresh is an untouched A&P from 1975 except for the name. The store still has the original Super Fresh logo!

Re: A&P to close 25 stores.

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 22:13
by rich
BillyGr wrote:
RoleModel wrote:A&P is selling 7 more stores to Big Y, including the last non-NYC metro Waldbaums in West Hartford.
The other 6 being sold are: Old Lyme, Branford, Mystic, East Haven, Middletown and Naugatuck.

This leaves them with 5 A&P's (Danbury x 2, Greenwich, Riverside, Stamford) and 1 Food Emporium (New Cannan) in CT, which are those closest to their NY/NJ base


West Hartford is a former Grand Union that is probably about 50 years old. Food Mart bought a number of stores from Grand Union in the 70s, probably after Waldbaum's bought Food Mart. The East Haven and Branford stores might be old Grand Unions, too. Middletown was a new build Food Mart from the late 70s. Berlin, I believe, was the original Food Mart location in Greater Hartford and about 50 years old. Food Mart was a Springfield-based chain. A&P sold the northern end of their old territory a while ago. Food Mart and Mott's Shop-Rite were the dominant chains in Hartford for quite a long time. What's left of Mott's operates under a different banner, but within the Shop-Rite coop.