Stop & Shop Closes ‘Underperforming’ Stores. Here’s Who’s Affected

Stop & Shop has officially closed its “underperforming” stores. The grocery giant has worked to consolidate various locations to maximize profits. Let’s look at what we know about these closures.

Stop & Shop Store Closures

USA Today reports that 32 “underperforming” Stop & Shop stores in five states have closed as of Nov. 2. The closures were first revealed in July with the intent to “position the company for growth.”

Despite the closures, Stop & Shop will continue to employ over 50,000 colleagues and run 81 shops in Connecticut, 115 in Massachusetts, 47 in New Jersey, 91 in New York, and 25 in Rhode Island.

One branch in Newton, Massachusetts, shut down in August, and the remaining planned closure locations in the state shuttered on Thursday, according to local media. According to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, the Shrewsbury and Worcester stores will give away their leftover inventory to the Worcester County Food Bank.

According to local station WPRI, the Eastside Marketplace in Providence, Rhode Island, closed on Friday, Nov. 1, while the one in Johnston, Rhode Island, closed on Oct. 31.

According to Connecticut Insider, all of the affected stores in Connecticut closed on Halloween, and except for the Nov. 2 closing deadline, no additional details were known on the stores in New Jersey and New York.

The Stop & Shop stores in New York that were slated for closure were mostly located on Long Island. The locations include Hempstead, East Meadow, Greenvale, and Coram. The Brooklyn, West Haverstraw, and Mount Vernon locations have also now closed down.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, two locations in Edison were slated for closure, alongside other locations in Howell, Piscataway, Point Pleasant Beach, and Jackson. The Massachusetts locations in Brockton, Springfield, and Worcester have also closed, as well as Connecticut locations in Ansonia, Torrington, Stamford, Milford, and Danbury.

Stop & Shop First Announced Closures in May

Back in May, the grocery giant announced that it was planning to close “underperforming” stores. At the time, it wasn’t sure how many locations would shutter.

“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 company said in a statement. “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.”

In July, USA Today revealed that 32 Stop & Shop locations were closing due to underperformance: five in Connecticut, eight stores in Massachusetts, 10 stores in New Jersey, seven stores in New York, and two stores in Rhode Island. The outlet reported at the time that the stores would close by the end of the year, and more recent news revealed that all stores would be closed on or before Saturday, Nov. 2.

“Stop & Shop is proud of the deep roots and community ties we have developed as a neighborhood grocer of more than 100 years, and we remain committed to nourishing our associates, customers and communities,” Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said in a statement at the time. “As we announced in May, Stop & Shop has evaluated its overall store portfolio and made the difficult decision to close underperforming stores to create a healthy base for the future growth of our brand.”

The stores closed on a rolling basis through Nov. 2. The employees at the closed Stop & Shop stores worked closely with corporate to get jobs in other locations before their original locations closed. In this regard, Stop & Stop did indeed look out for their employees when they needed it.