Business & Tech

Stop & Shop to Move Into Old A&P Site

The supermarket expects to open its doors in early November.

Stop & Shop will move in to the old A&P building at Summerhill Road and Arthur Street by early November.

Arlene Putterman, manager of Public and Community Relations for Stop & Shop, said Tuesday that after some minor renovations and the addition of new signage, the supermarket would be ready for business.

Putterman said the new store is part of the company’s effort to expand into the area.

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“We chose East Brunswick because we saw the perfect opportunity, and it's a great location for us,” she said. “We’re already in the ‘Brunswicks’ area and want to expand and this was an opportunity we couldn’t refuse.

Putterman, Mayor David Stahl, Township Planner and Landscape Architect Steve Gottlieb and others gathered in front of the old A&P Building Tuesday to announce the move.

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Mayor Stahl said the addition of Stop & Shop is a sign that businesses and retailers are confident that East Brunswick is a prime location to invest. That along with the nearby and plans to renovate the moving ahead, he said the township’s economic revitalization is on the right track.

“The vacancy rate (along Route 18) will drop precipitously over the next year,” he said. “We’re seeing things that have been in the works for some time come through. You’re not seeing any redevelopment projects elsewhere in the state get off the ground.”

He said that investment in a town by a retailer, especially one as large as Stop & Shop, benefits not only local businesses, but residents and property owners as well.

The A&P opened in 1996 and closed its doors in October 2010. During that time, other businesses in the small strip mall have managed to stay open. Their success should only increase once a viable anchor store opens.

Mayor Stahl said the township worked with Stop & Shop to meet the supermarket’s needs as much as possible. As a result, the supermarket will be allowed to put an additional free standing sign on Summerhill Road, one closer to Route 18, and a sign on the back of the building. All three signs will be illuminated.

In all, Putterman said the company is excited about becoming part of the East Brunswick business community, despite facing competition from the Pathmark next door, Shop Rite on Route 18, and other supermarkets in the area.

“We look at all opportunities, and when an opportunity like this arises, you have to be in it to win it,” she said.


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