A&P Taking Over Pathmark (business/detergents interest)

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

oxydolfan1

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2006
Messages
1,764
A&P us buying the northwest US supermarket chain Pathmark.

Pathmark stores will supposedly remain Pathmarks.

They've been phasing in "Top Care" health and beauty aids products for the last two weeks, to replace the house brands.
 
You Gotta Be Kidding...

A&P just closed a few hundred stores several years ago, and now they're on an expansion kick? They're completely gone from this market (Atlanta); nobody shopped there any more because of the horrible atmosphere and attitude. Shopping there was about as enjoyable as going to the DMV to straighten out a car tag problem.

Their nicest store here (nice for them) was at Ansley Mall. There's a huge Kroger next to Ansley, and it was always something to see on Saturday- Kroger's parking lot was jammed, and A&P's was almost literally empty. Publix bought the location after A&P pulled out of Atlanta, and they're very successful there, so it's not like it was the location.

I honestly can't imagine them expanding. The ONLY reason I miss them is ready availability of Bokar coffee.
 
dane~

A&P in the Northeast is quite different than it was in the Atlanta area. The stores are quite clean and and the quality of merchandise they sell is quite good as well. I have great memories of the red coffee grinders at the end of each checkout when I was a kid. The smell of Eight O'Clock coffee when you would walk into each store.
Pathmark, I belive, was on the verge of bankruptcy or is bankrupt. so this will help keep the brand alive which is a NY institution. I went to a few stores back on Long Island while visiting my family and have to say Pathmark is not quite the store I fondly remember. Stop and Shop and King Kullen are really the market leaders on LI now.
 
I am originally from New York City (Bayside, Queens) and I remember A& P (Atlantic and Pacific Tea Store) which we called "The Tea Store". I also remember King Kullen.
When I moved to Palm Springs, California it was Vons, Ralph, and Albertsons. Here in Tucson, Az it is Safeway, Frys, Bashas, Food City, and Albertsons.

Ross
 
Safeway

I shopped there when I lived in Tucson. I was in Fry's once and never went back.,<yuk> Publix is the leader here in Florida.
 
Regional chains.

Here in Savannah, Publix is the best, but I live 2 blocks from the worst Kroger I have ever seen. The store is usually dirty, the produce leaves MUCH to be desired, and the service is pathetic. Lines are also shorter at the DMV! We refer to it as the "Kroghetto."
I grew up in Manassas, VA and Giant was the best supermarket around. Shoppers' Food Warehouse is a close second, though. Magruder's left Manassas maybe 15 years ago, but for all its shortcomings, they had the best meats in town. I worked for 4 years at the last Weis in Virginia, and even managed the dairy department my last summer there, which was eventually killed by Food Lions spreading like viruses. Weis and Food Lions are bargain-basement stores. Fine for dry goods and paper products, but you can do so much better for meats, produce, and dairy.
Out of Richmond, VA is Ukrops. They are as far north as Fredericksburg and aside from being uber-Christian (I'm Jewish and I prefer a more neutral environment) Ukrops has the cleanest stores I have ever seen, and the customer service is tops too. There is a Wegman's in Fairfax, VA which is also very very nice.

Yes, I am a grocery-snob,
Dave
 
Yeah, A&P pulled back to their roots (with 2 exceptions---Detroit (where they're #2 in the market after Meijer (hypermarkets which really do food well) and just ahead of Kroger and New Orleans (where they're really the only chain left, including a very kewl 1929 store in the French Quarter. They do well in New Orleans (they've ended up with the best stores as the other chains like Albertsons and National/Canal Villere (Loblaw's) have left).

A&P is finally making money routinely (even here in Detroit where they were threatening to pull out) and Pathmark takes out a competitor for them in NY/NJ/PA plus allows them to spread distribution costs etc over a broader base.

It's interesting being here in Detroit where Wal-Mart isn't even #2 in the market---they're #3 (after Meijer above and K-Mart/Sears which used to be based here). Everyone's pretty loyal to Meijer (who's expanded very carefully from their HQ in western Michigan to suburban Chicago, outstate Illinois/Indiana, Indianapolis, Louisville, Columbus and throughout Michigan) and they should be...Meijer does a terrific job with food (they started as a supermarket in Grand Rapids)....we forgive them their HRC low score (I've got to laugh....low HRC score yet they're quite generous with contributions/%back programs including 1% back to the Metropolitan Community Church (among other groups) if you carry their card.
 
A&P

I thought there were no more A&PS at all anymore, They have been gone from here since 1980

Skip...
 
We haven't had an A&P in our area for at least 15 years. There used to be 2 in Fairfield, 3 in Bridgeport and Bridgeport had the only Pathmark within around 20 miles. A&P had somewhat smaller, though well maintained stores. PAthmark was considered somehwat bargain basement and while the stores were reasonably clean, meats and produce were not their strongest areas.

For a while some of the A&P stores were converted to Waldbaums, but those also abandoned the area. There are one or two "Food Emporium" stores in Greenwich and New Canaan.

There is one A&P Food Mart in a depressed area of Bridgeport. While a huge store, it is one of the most disgusting, filthy stores I have ever seen. But as so often happens in depressed areas, residents don't have many options.

Now our dominant chain is Stop & Shop, which is doing it's best to eliminate any choices for the shopper by stocking only it's highest volume products. You know, every variety of Tide liquid in every possible size, but almost no other brand except All and Wisk, and no other powders at all. And they are incredibly uncooperative about special ordering anything. Even for products that are nationally available one is told that their management will not allow any special orders.

Shaw's supermarket is really just an "also ran" in Connecticut. They moved in to take over some of the former Finast/Edwards and Grand Union stores. Again, poorly maintained and absolutely filthy...

A Massachusetts based chain "Big Y", is coming to the area very gradually. While not the biggest store, they are one of the cleanest and best stocked I have seen in a while. One is planned for Trumbull, around 15 minutes away. Prices are generally a bit higher, but their "buy 1, get two free" sales do make up for it.
 
A & P

The A & P stores in this part of Texas have been gone for a very long time. Here they were very good stores.. The Ann Page brands were very reasonable in cost and most of the time good products.
 
Our own Tea

I remember there iced tea mix with lemon and sugar added I was very adddicted to there tea.

Skip...
 
Atlantic and Pacfic (A&P) also owns Food Emporium which is found in upscale areas of NYC. The local manager of our FP store told me 8 O'clock coffe was sold off by A&P so there must be lots of things going on behind the scene. Had inquired about the coffee because it seemed for ages it went on sale every two or three weeks, but lately nothing. Really do love "Bokar" and "French" blends, so would stock up when the large bags went on sale.

L.
 
Laundress~

we can get Bokar here in Orlando. if you would like, I would be more than happy to send some to you.

Let me know

~Shane
 
A&P was in the Northwest decades ago, but they pulled out because of anti-trust regulations (or something to that effect).

Kroeger bought Seattle-Based Quality Food Centers and Portland Based Fred Meyer stores a few years back, but have so far kept them up pretty nicely. Back home they bought Baker's, which was always pretty nice, but I haven't been to one since the aquisition.
 
Stop ad shop tried pushing onto LI with mixed results. They never built their Roslyn megastore they promised. Was going to be right in the historical district and got huge backlash (the roads that would have fed it were way too small anyway).

They bought a lot of useable locations in Glen Cove to try to lock out the competition. There was a CVS sized spot and another one sepperated by a flower shop, though. one day, a few obscure third tire stores nobody had ever heard of moved into both locations, and a curiously high amount of construction went on.

A few months later, litterally overnight, a King Kullen appeared in the spot. They built AROUND the flower shop, creating a store with a usable but awkward layout.

Anyway, we've got boatloads of Shop Rites here, and they're good but they're all out of Home Pride bread this week and last :(

Oh yes, Peak Freans and Cheese Balls have been killed off. Thank you, food police >:(
 
If the sale goes through ...

A&P will own:

1) Food Basics (http://www.foodbasicsusa.com/index.asp), which has opened in several former A&P locations here in New Jersey. (I've only been to Food Basics once; unless things changed you had to either bring your own bags or buy them at 10 cents a piece; you also had to bag your own groceries.)
2) Food Emporium (http://www.thefoodemporium.com/our_locations.asp#NJ), which as Laundress said tends to open in upscale locations. (The Food Emporium in Fort Lee, NJ was coverted to an A&P.)
3)Waldbaums (http://www.waldbaums.com/), the Waldbaum's in Jersey City, NJ was converted to an A&P. The one in North Bergen, NJ became a Shop Rite, which has since been replaced by an independent supermarket.
4) A&P (http://www.apsupermarket.com/)
5) Pathmark (http://www.pathmark.com/)

There are Shop Rites on just about every corner here. We also have King's, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Stop and Shop, and Acme (as a kid I always wondered why the Acme that the coyote -- of Road Runner fame -- shopped at sold much cooler stuff then the one that my parents shopped at, but I digress), but when you get right down to it -- to former competitors (A&P and Pathmark) will have the same parent. I'm sure that won't be good for the average customer.

Just my 0.02.

Mike
 
If the sale goes through ...

A&P will own:

1) Food Basics (http://www.foodbasicsusa.com/index.asp), which has opened in several former A&P locations here in New Jersey. (I've only been to Food Basics once; unless things changed you had to either bring your own bags or buy them at 10 cents a piece; you also had to bag your own groceries.)
2) Food Emporium (http://www.thefoodemporium.com/our_locations.asp#NJ), which as Laundress said tends to open in upscale locations. (The Food Emporium in Fort Lee, NJ was coverted to an A&P.)
3)Waldbaums (http://www.waldbaums.com/), the Waldbaum's in Jersey City, NJ was converted to an A&P. The one in North Bergen, NJ became a Shop Rite, which has since been replaced by an independent supermarket.
4) A&P (http://www.apsupermarket.com/)
5) Pathmark (http://www.pathmark.com/)

There are Shop Rites on just about every corner here. We also have King's, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Stop and Shop, and Acme (as a kid I always wondered why the Acme that the coyote -- of Road Runner fame -- shopped at sold much cooler stuff then the one that my parents shopped at, but I digress), but when you get right down to it -- two former competitors (A&P and Pathmark) will have the same parent. I'm sure that won't be good for the average customer.

Just my 0.02.

Mike
 
Back
Top