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Community Corner

Ellicott City Superfresh Grocery Store May Close

Parent company Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. filed a motion last week to sell or close 25 stores in Maryland, D.C. and Delaware, including the store on N. Ridge Road.

The in Ellicott City will either be closed or sold to a new owner following news that the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) is seeking bankruptcy court approval to sell 25 of its stores in the Mid-Atlantic region, including 22 in Maryland.

If approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, the filing would spell the demise of the Superfresh chain in Maryland, though some individual stores could survive if competitors show interest in those locations. The sales of stores, if approved, would be completed by mid-June.

All told, Superfresh is putting 25 of its markets on the block, a move likely to put even more pressure on struggling malls and retail properties throughout the state. The only two Superfresh markets in Maryland not for sale are in Ocean City. 

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In addition to the 22 stores in Maryland, A&P plans to sell or close a market in upper northwest Washington, D.C. That store is just behind the American University Law School at 4330 48th St. NW.  Two stores in Delaware will also be sold off or shuttered.

“We have determined that the 25 Superfresh locations are outside A&P’s core market,” said Sam Martin, the Montvale, N.J.-based company’s president and chief executive officer, in a statement.    

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“While the decision to put these non-core stores up for sale will unfortunately impact some of our customers, partners and community associates, this is a necessary step in our efforts to restore the company to long-term financial health,” he added. 

A&P, Superfresh’s parent, filed last week for protection under the Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws in December and received an $800 million debtor-in-possession financing to continue operations as part of that process.

In Maryland, Superfresh’s market share is tiny, trailing far behind its much-larger competitors, notably Giant and Safeway. Food World, a trade publication, placed Superfresh’s share of the Baltimore-Washington market at only 2.4 percent. In the release, the company did not disclose how many employees work in its Maryland stores.

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