Stop & Shop closing 32 underperforming grocery stores in the Northeast: See the full list

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, which got its start in 1914 in Somerville, Massachusetts, operates around 400 grocery stores and has 60,000 employees.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said the closures are a difficult but necessary step to stabilize the business.

“These stores are not making a profit,” he said. “They take away from the whole organization. We need to focus on the parts that we need to invest in and want to invest in.”

Reid said Stop & Shop will continue to build new stores and remodel existing ones. The brand, which has remodeled 190 stores since 2018, will also invest in lower prices and promotions at its remaining stores, he said.

Stop & Shop will continue to have buying power even with fewer stores because of its parent company, according to Reid. Ahold Delhaize operates more than 7,700 grocery stores worldwide, including the Food Lion and Giant brands in the U.S.

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.”

Reid said Stop & Shop can compete because it has convenient locations, high quality and a good product assortment. Lowering prices will also help the business, he said.

“Our customers love Stop & Shop, and they want us to have a strong future,” he said.

Stop & Shop store closings - Full list of locations

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)

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

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

Rhode Island

11 Commerce Way, Johnston

176 Pittman St., Providence (Eastside Marketplace)