Winning bids announced for Waldbaum's, Pathmark stores in A&P bankruptcy

Thirteen Waldbaum's and Pathmark stores on Long Island put up for auction last week by the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. now have winning bidders, including King Kullen, Key Food and Best Yet Market.

Mineola-based Local 338 of the United Food and Commercial Workers announced the winning bidders for six Waldbaum's on Long Island to its members.A filing late Monday in U.S. bankruptcy court in White Plains named a seventh Waldbaum's receiving a bid.

A number of the buyers are union operators and "they indicated they will keep our members that are there," Local 338 spokeswoman Nikki Kateman said.

Separately, Westbury-based UFCW Local 1500 announced the winning bidders for six Long Island Pathmark stores to its members.

An A&P spokesman declined to comment.

The remaining Long Island stores that were auctioned last week as part of A&P's bankruptcy had no winning bids and will be auctioned again on Thursday and Friday, union officials said.

King Kullen was the winning bidder for the Waldbaum's in North Patchogue.

"We will be meeting with Local 338 to work out any details and generally intend to offer jobs to the men and women currently employed by Waldbaum's at that location," King Kullen spokesman Lloyd Singer said Monday.

Best Yet Market, a nonunion operator, successfully bid on the Waldbaum's in Merrick. A spokeswoman for the company confirmed the purchase.

Key Food was the winning bidder for Waldbaum's locations in Center Moriches and Mattituck. Key Food had already bid to buy Waldbaum's stores in Albertson and Glen Head. A Key Food representative declined to comment.

H Mart, a New Jersey-based Korean supermarket chain with two locations on Long Island, was the winning bidder for the Waldbaum's in Jericho. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

The Waldbaum's in Greenlawn was bid on by Shanghai Enterprises, while a real estate entity including Brixmor Operating Partnership LP, among others, bid on the Waldbaum's in East Setauket, according to a court filing. Likewise, Saxon Sunrise Realty LLC, the landlord of the Pathmark in Bay Shore, won the bid for that store, according to the filing.

Stop & Shop was the winning bidder on three Pathmarks it had previously announced plans to buy, while Wakefern Food Corp., the cooperative that operates ShopRite, was the winner on two Pathmarks it planned to buy.

Winning bids are not final until they are approved by the bankruptcy court. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16.