Stop & Shop, the Massachusetts-based supermarket chain, has announced plans to close several of its “underperforming” grocery stores across the Northeast as part of a four-year strategy unveiled by its parent company, Ahold Delhaize, during its recent “Strategy Day.”
“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,” a spokesperson for the grocery chain stated.
The company, which currently operates nearly 400 stores in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, has not yet provided a timeline for the closures or specified which locations will be affected.
JJ Fleeman, the U.S. CEO of Ahold Delhaize, emphasized that Stop & Shop has already evaluated its overall portfolio and will make tough choices to shutter underperforming stores in order to create a healthy store base for the long term and grow the brand.
Despite the impending closures, Stop & Shop has “remodeled” and made improvements to nearly half of its stores. “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,” the company statement said.
Fleeman added that the company plans to focus on the markets that are most important, including those where the brand has a strong presence, holds a significant market position, or has stores that are performing well.
Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Stop & Shop, also operates other U.S. supermarket chains such as Food Lion, Hannaford, Giant Food, and The Giant Company.
