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 President Gordon Reid said in a statement that the company decided to close the stores to create a "healthy base for the future growth of our brand."
Ahold Delhaize said in May that it planned to close some Stop & Shop locations as part of a plan to strengthen the brand. The company said it wants to build new stores and remodel remaining ones, increase the number of store-brand products it offers and reduce prices.
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."
Stop & Shop, which got its start in 1914 in Somerville, Massachusetts, operates around 400 grocery stores and has 60,000 employees.
Here is a list of the 32 stores that will close:
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 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 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) Rhode Island
11 Commerce Way, Johnston 176 Pittman St., Providence (Eastside Marketplace) ----------
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