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Stop & Shop opens refreshed stores on Long Island

Ahold Delhaize USA chain continues multiyear store upgrade plan

Russell Redman

September 13, 2019

4 Min Read
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Stop & Shop

Stop & Shop has brought its new look to Long Island, a key market in metropolitan New York.

The Ahold Delhaize USA supermarket chain today debuted 21 upgraded stores in Suffolk County as part of a $133 million capital investment to enhance the shopping experience. The launch follows the reopening of 21 remodeled stores last October in Hartford, Conn., which kicked off a five-year capital spending plan — estimated at $1.6 billion to $2 billion — to refresh Stop & Shop stores chainwide.

On Friday, Stop & shop held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in its store at 291 Main Street in Smithtown, N.Y., as part of grand reopening events at the updated stores, which included free food, the Stop & Shop Airstream trailer and special appearances by alumni players from the NFL’s New York Giants at some locations.

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The Quincy, Mass.-based retailer currently has more than 50 stores under the Stop & Shop banner on Long Island, where the chain is by far the grocery retail market leader, with around a 25% share. The retailer employs over 8,000 associates on the island and noted that it recently added about 350 part-time associates and promoted another 100 associates to full-time positions.

“The remodeling of our Long Island stores is a key milestone in our journey to refresh the Stop & Shop brand for the future and to strengthen our position as market leader,” Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said in a statement. Reid became Stop & Shop president in late July, coming over from Ahold Delhaize USA’s Giant Food.

Related:Stop & Shop serves up free meal planning service

Enhancements at the Suffolk County stores, located in the eastern half of Long Island, include expanded produce sections with more organic and locally grown fruit and vegetables; more prepared foods, such as stir fry stations, sushi bars, hot bars and meats like brisket and pulled pork smoked in-store; in-store cafes offering smoothies, coffee, treats,and free wi-fi; Italian specialty sections featuring items like pasta, sauce and fill-your-own bottle olive oil and vinegar fustis; a wider selection of specialty cheeses, such as local, freshly made Lioni mozzarella; and domestic and imported olives that can be mixed and matched at the olive bar.

Also as part of the increased local offerings, the stores feature a broad assortment of craft beers from brands such as Long Island’s Montauk Ale and South Hampton Brewing. Selected stores also offer interactive beer kiosks to help customers find the best beer-food pairings.

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On the convenience side, shoppers will find strategically located cold cases containing food staples — including milk, bread, butter and eggs — right by checkout so they can grab most-needed items without having to walk the entire store, according to Stop & Shop. Customers can also use the chain’s SCAN IT! mobile app to scan and bag items as they shop and then simply scan a barcode at checkout to pay. The upgraded stores, too, offer same-day online grocery pickup, enabling customers to place orders via Peapod.com and then pick them up as soon as four hours later. The retailer said it also is serving up new, lower prices on items throughout the stores.

Related:Ahold Delhaize takes Q2 hit from Stop & Shop strike

“We’re excited for local customers to enjoy the changes we’ve brought to Long Island like even more fresh produce, lower prices and new solutions to help make things easy for our customers get their shopping done and get back to what matters most,” Reid stated.

Under the “Reimaging Stop & Shop” initiative, the grocery chain aims to deliver more fresh, healthy and convenient options and lower prices at its more than 400 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.

Ahold Delhaize has said it expects the brand refresh at Stop & Shop is to lift store sales 4% to 6% on a pro forma basis in the first year, 2% to 4% in the second and 2% in the third. Plans call for 60 to 80 stores to be upgraded annually under the program.

On Long Island, Stop & Shop also is still finalizing its acquisition of King Kullen Grocery Co. Under a deal announced in January, Stop & Shop is buying 32 King Kullen stores and five Wild by Nature natural/organic supermarkets in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Two underperforming King Kullen locations have since been closed, and another is slated to be shut Sept. 26.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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