Cropsey Avenue Stop & Shop open for business

Residents of Coney Island, Bensonhurst and Gravesend don’t have to stop too far from home for their next shopping trip.

With a modern look  and revamped systems throughout the store, Cropsey Avenue’s Stop & Shop—formerly Pathmark—has made its debut, one of several new stores slated to open across New York City as part of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company’s (A&P) $146 million agreement with Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC to acquire 25 stores.

As this paper previously reported, the acquisition came after A&P filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and, in total, executed purchase agreements covering approximately 120 of its stores for nearly $600 million, according to A&P.

Other supermarket giants taking over A&P stores like Superfresh, Waldbaums, Food Basics and Food Emporium as part of the asset purchase agreements are Acme Markets Inc. and Key Food Stores Cooperative Inc.

“We continue to work around the clock to convert the newly acquired A&P stores to Stop & Shop stores,” said Don Sussman, president of Stop & Shop New York Metro Division. “We’ve completed the grand opening of nine stores to rave reviews [and] our store conversion team did a great job on opening the first wave of stores. Customers are very pleased with the results.”

While the extent of renovations and added amenities will vary from store to store, according to Stop & Shop, each location will re-open under the Stop & Shop name and will come complete with “modern décor, updated refrigeration systems, new lighting and state-of-the-art technology.”

“The opening of Stop & Shop on Cropsey Avenue represents an important and much-needed quality of life and retail addition to our community,” said Councilmember Mark Treyger. “For too long, residents of our neighborhood have had to get by with limited options when it comes to buying groceries. They deserve to be able to shop for a wide variety of food – fresh, healthy and high-quality produce in particular – without having to travel outside the confines of their own neighborhood. The arrival of Stop & Shop is an important step forward in providing residents with greater local retail options.”

Other stores in Brooklyn undergoing the switch are Atlantic Terminal Mall’s Pathmark (625 Atlantic Avenue)—open for business as a Stop & Shop as of October 16, along with the Pathmark at 1525 Albany Avenue and the Waldbaum’s at 8121 New Utrecht Avenue, soon to become Key Food stores.