Waldbaum's to be replaced by a Stop & Shop

Store will remain open and stocked until sale is finalized

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The Waldbaum’s at 85 E. Park Ave. is slated to become a Stop & Shop after its parent company, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company — also known as A&P — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.

A&P, which has nearly 300 supermarkets and other stores under several brands, including A&P, Waldbaum’s, SuperFresh, Pathmark, Food Basics, the Food Emporium and Best Cellars, will close 25 stores — five in the near future — and put hundreds of others up for sale. Stop & Shop has agreed to acquire 25 of the stores in New York and New Jersey for $146 million, including the Long Beach location, according to a press release issued by Stop & Shop.

The deal is subject to bankruptcy court approval, and Waldbaum’s is expected to remain open and fully stocked until the sale goes through. According to a letter from A&P Chairman Greg Mays to the company’s customers, the court is allowing the stores to remain open.

“We are pleased that the Court has granted these motions promptly, which allows us to continue operating in ordinary course during this process — continuing to pay employees, work with suppliers and serve customers,” Paul Hertz, A&P’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

According to a statement released by Stop & Shop, the sale is expected to be completed this year, and the store will remain open as a Waldbaum’s until then.

The City of Long Beach, which owns the Park Avenue location, agreed to a 99-year lease with Waldbaum’s in 1983 as part of former City Manager Ed Eaton’s efforts to revitalize the city.

The City Council has asked its bankruptcy counsel to examine the lease to determine what options, if any, are open to the city now that the supermarket is closing, City Manager Jack Schnirman said.

According to Schnirman, feedback the city received from residents during recent public-input meetings to update the city’s Comprehensive Plan indicated that they would like to see the Waldbaum’s shopping center property developed into something else.

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