Grocers beware: A big name supermarket may be closing stores in NJ

🍅 Your local supermarket in NJ may be closing

🍅 The parent company of this supermarket chain has announced U.S. closures

🍅 The list of underperforming locations that will close has not been disclosed

Do you do your grocery shopping at Stop & Shop? Brace yourselves. Your local store may be closing.

Its corporate parent company, Dutch-based Ahold Delhaize, announced in an investor meeting last week that it’s closing underperforming Stop & Shop stores in the U.S.

According to the press release, the chief executive for the United States, JJ Fleeman said the company will be taking into account brand density, how well a store performs, and the position each store holds in the market.

Fleeman also emphasized that Ahold Delhaize USA has a new strategy focused on leveraging technology, including apps, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation.

“This initiative aims to achieve significant cost savings, with projections nearing $5.5 billion over the next four years. Additionally, Ahold Delhaize aims to increase the share of its private label products, targeting them to account for 45% of total sales by 2028,” the press release read.

Since 2018, Stop & Shop remodeled 190 stores, which continue to perform well, Fleeman said. It’s unlikely that a newly remodeled Stop & Shop that is performing well would close.

But despite the revitalization campaign and the remodelings, Fleeman said Stop & Shop is not where it should and needs to be, so changes must be made.

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To assure a stable and thriving future, Fleeman said it’s important that the company focuses on “optimizing the portfolio to focus on core markets where it can win.”

Stop & Shop has nearly 400 stores across the Northeast United States, most of them in Massachusetts. But there are 57 stores in New Jersey.

The specific number of stores and their locations that are set for closure has not been disclosed, but the company plans to provide that information later this year.

However, last month, it was announced that the Stop & Shop located at 2275 W. County Line Road, Bennetts Mills Plaza, in Jackson is set to close this fall.

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