Stop & Shop
Opened: ca. 2004
It's time for our last weekend of Stop & Shop closing stores! (We, of course, haven't seen all 32 stores that are closing, but you can read all of the many posts I have made recently here.) We're down in Howell, about 15 miles southwest of Asbury Park. This store, which is just under 70,000 square feet, opened around 2004 as a new-build, replacing an acquired Grand Union just to the north.
It was renovated between 2011 and 2015, give or take, probably coinciding with the nearby ShopRite's 2015 opening. I assume originally the store had the Taste & Table interior, which would match this flooring (see Coram). The renovation was relatively minor and mostly cosmetic, and we see some signs that maintenance was slipping at this store such as the ceiling in the below picture.
Its layout matches most other stores of this era, with the grand aisle on the left side. Bakery and deli/prepared foods line the left wall with seafood at the back of the grand aisle. Meat and dairy line the back wall, with frozen and dairy on the right side.
It was pretty obvious to me when I visited that this store was in trouble. I was one of two customers, if I remember correctly, and there were only three or four employees I saw in the store. The single cashier was standing in the middle of the front end talking to a grocery clerk because there was nothing to do. Meanwhile, the ShopRite was busy.
I think the ShopRite opening can be considered the most direct cause of this store's downfall, but I'm sure it didn't help that a Walmart directly across route 9 became a Supercenter around the time that the ShopRite opened.
As we can see, the store is pretty nice but clearly struggled with volume. Notice the deli and seafood counters reduced in size, although there does appear to have been a service seafood counter here right up until the end.
Stop & Shop really struggles in Central Jersey, and we can tell this because of the store closures in Edison (x2), Somerset, Piscataway, Jackson, and previously in Highland Park, Raritan, and Dayton (there may be others I'm forgetting). They'll retain several Central Jersey locations, but this is the area they've most conspicuously been leaving in New Jersey. They still seem to be rather strong in the northern shore area, where ACME has less of a presence. In fact, at least two of the shore stores have been renovated recently. Howell is a bit inland, so it's not exactly on the shore, but it's not far from the shore either.
Nature's Promise in the first aisle. This is a great setup for a natural foods aisle.
As usual, I do like the skylights a lot.
I think it's very unlikely another supermarket will take this space in its entirety, except possibly a kosher supermarket (but even then, I'd expect them to subdivide). It's not in a particularly convenient location for a supermarket, either, so it's likely to become some other form of retail in my opinion.
Frozen foods on the right side of the store...
As you can see, like with many of the other closing stores, this one doesn't look all that old. It's a bit of a surprise to me that the stores they're closing, by and large, are relatively new while more than a few very old and rundown locations persist.
And as usual, there's a very large nonfoods, HABA, and baby department on the right side of the store, too. I can't imagine how much need for most of this there is in this location, with a Walmart across the highway and a Target in the same strip mall as this store.
There's also a pharmacy in the front-right corner.
Dairy begins on the back wall and runs down the last aisle.
I'm not sure I've seen signage like this for "the bread basket" previously. I do really like this decor package, as I've mentioned before.
Although it is showing some signs of age...
This store has a somewhat unusual setup with greeting cards and gift items in the space between the pharmacy department and the front-end. This is where I'd expect to see floral.
And a look at the front-end...
This store is quite nice, and it's a shame that it's not likely to remain a supermarket. Maybe at least the fixtures can be reused elsewhere, since they generally seem to be in adequate shape.
Opened: ca. 2004
Owner: Ahold Delhaize
Previous Tenants: none
Cooperative: none
Location: 4861 US-9, Howell, NJ
Photographed: April 19, 2024
This store, by the way, is just two and a half miles east of the Jackson location, which is also closing. Other stores that remain in the area are in Toms River and Brick about six miles south, Point Pleasant about ten miles east, and Freehold about ten miles north. Realistically, I doubt anyone who shops at this store will be traveling to any of those locations -- although how many people, by the time of its closure, are actually shopping regularly at this store? That's all for Howell, and here's the other stores we're seeing this weekend!
And then, you get a store like the one in East Brunswick.
ReplyDeleteBuilt as a later A&P that then closed when they merged in Pathmark (as that store was sort of adjacent but separated by a Kmart and some distance).
It fits some of the same categories (not on the shore, but not all that far inland, definitely in a hidden spot, which A&P seemed to have a way of doing in that area with some of their later stores) but not only did they move in to it, that is one that is staying around (even with ShopRite up the street, but maybe less other competition?).
And that East Brunswick store is in really fantastic shape. It hasn't been renovated (I don't think in fact it was renovated after S&S opened there at all), but it's maintained perfectly and really well-stocked and full-service. So I assume they do alright there at least.
DeleteThis store struggled with volume from when it opened, well before Walmart became a supercenter (2013 or so), and before ShopRite opened. These two, combined with the new Aldi right there, make it no surprise that this store is closing. I have to imagine it will stay vacant, too.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, thanks for the background!
DeleteThis is slated to be converted to a Moisha's Kosher Supermarket (https://moishas.com).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!
Delete