- The A&P Fresh location at 1201 High Ridge Road in Stamford. Photo by Bob Luckey
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. is closing 10 stores in Connecticut unless a buyer is found by November, a move that is not expected to impact Albertson”™s planned acquisition of A&P stores in Greenwich and Stamford and New Canaan”™s Food Emporium.
Statewide, some 450 jobs are at stake in Great Atlantic & Pacific”™s exit from Connecticut, in the wake of the grocery and wine store chain”™s bankruptcy filing last month. The company dates to 1859.
The state Department of Labor, as required for layoffs numbering above 50, posted the information Aug. 17 via a WARN Act notice. The notice said the stores will shutter Nov. 12-26.
A company spokesman declined comment on whether the company expects to find buyers for its remaining Connecticut stores in advance of mid-November.
Albertson”™s, which owns the Acme Markets grocery chain, plans to take over the A&P Fresh on High Ridge Road in Stamford; A&P at 160 West Putnam Ave. and 1237 East Putnam Ave. in Greenwich; and the Food Emporium in downtown New Canaan. The company has yet to state its plans for the employees of those stores.
In Acme Markets, lower Fairfield County is getting a grocery store ranked 61st out of 68 nationally in April by readers of Consumer Reports ”” only one rung behind Stop & Shop and only a few ahead of A&P ”” with Albertson”™s saying it has improved Acme”™s operations since acquiring the company in 2013. Trader Joe”™s, which has multiple locations in Fairfield County, was ranked third nationally behind only Wegman”™s and Publix.
In addition to Albertson”™s, Stop & Shop owner Ahold was among the companies rumored to be bidding for some A&P locations. Stop & Shop is the largest supermarket operator in Fairfield County, while Albertson”™s does not have a Connecticut presence.
In regulatory and legal filings, A&P had yet to indicate as of Tuesday the fate of its Danbury location, as well as several others in Connecticut.
Reporting by Alex Soule, Hearst Media.
