Stop & Shop will close underperforming LI store, grocer says

Stop & Shop next month will close an underperforming supermarket on Long Island that became part of the chain more than two decades ago, the retailer said.

The approximately 69,000-square-foot supermarket in the Islandia Shopping Center will close May 12, said Stefanie Shuman, spokeswoman for Stop & Shop. 

“After a detailed review of the operating performance of our stores, we have made the difficult decision to close our store located at 1730 Veterans Memorial Highway in Islandia, N.Y. All store associates will have the opportunity to transfer to other area Stop & Shop locations,” Shuman said.

The closest Stop & Shop to the Islandia store is 5.3 miles away in Smithtown.

The Islandia store employs 79 people, Shuman said.

Most of them are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 and Local 342.

The union locals did not respond to requests for comment.

The Islandia store opened in 2001 after Stop & Shop took over an Edwards supermarket.  Edwards was a sister chain to Stop & Shop.

With 51 supermarkets on Long Island, Stop & Shop is the largest grocer in the area.

The Quincy, Massachusetts-based chain, which is owned by Dutch company Ahold Delhaize, has more than 400 supermarkets in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. 

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.