Stop & Shop will close underperforming stores — but the company isn’t saying where or when that will happen.
The department store chain operates 400 stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and other Northeastern states, and senior managers recently completed a review of its business operations that led to the conclusion that some stores must go.
“Stop & Shop will make some difficult decisions to close select underperforming store locations to help ensure the long-term health and future growth of our business,” company spokeswoman Carolyn Medeiros wrote in an email to the Globe on Wednesday. “It is too early in the process to share any additional information regarding potential store closures.”
Stop & Shop is one of five supermarket chains in the North East owned by Ahold Delhaize, a Netherlands-based company that also operates supermarkets in Europe and Indonesia.
During a 2024 Strategy Day meeting last week, JJ Fleeman, senior director of U.S. Department Stores, said the goal is to increase profits by reducing the chain’s operating costs.
“We have completed a comprehensive assessment of the portfolio. We will not share the exact number of impacts to those stores today, but we will come back later in the year to talk about that,” he said.
The company has already remodeled 190 Stop & Shop stores, officials said.
“Stop & Shop continues to maintain a strong market share position in the Northeast with our portfolio of nearly 400 stores. We have completed more than 190 remodels to date, which continue to perform well, and we are committed to continuing to invest in our stores – And also in our pricing – to deliver a great in-store experience and great values for our customers,” Medeiros wrote.
Ahold Delhaize will spend $1 billion repairing and building new stores among the five chains it owns, which includes Maine-based Hannaford supermarkets, Fleeman said. Fleeman did not mention the closure of Hannaford stores or any of the other chains it owns.
Stop & Shop traces its roots back to a Somerville store that opened in 1914 and has grown over the decades into a mall powerhouse with sales exceeding $3 billion in 1984. In 1996, it was purchased by Royal Ahold which has since transformed into Ahold Delhaize.
John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @JREbosglobe.
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