By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-07 17:40:53 | Updated at 2026-08-07 19:33:54
2 hours ago
The beloved grocery chain made famous by Happy Gilmore is continuing a major shake-up of its store network, with around 40 storefronts now closed or slated to shut.
Stop & Shop, which famously appeared in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy when Happy works as a grocery store clerk before embarking on his unlikely golfing career, announced another round of closures as it shifts its focus toward better-performing locations.
The latest stores to be axed are in Basking Ridge, Westfield and Toms River, New Jersey, along with Clinton, Connecticut. All four locations are expected to close before the end of the year.
The announcement comes after the supermarket chain revealed plans in 2024 to close 32 underperforming stores across the Northeast as part of a sweeping turnaround strategy.
That earlier round of closures saw two stores shut in Rhode Island, five in Connecticut, seven in New York, eight in Massachusetts and 10 in New Jersey.
Taken together with the latest announcements, around 40 Stop & Shop stores have now been closed or earmarked for closure in just two years.
The Massachusetts-based retailer, owned by Dutch grocery giant Ahold Delhaize, still operates more than 350 stores across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.
Company bosses insist the closures are part of a long-term strategy to strengthen the business rather than a sign of wider financial trouble.
Stop & Shop has announced another round of closures as it shifts its focus toward better-performing locations
'Each decision was made independently and is not part of a broader plan to close multiple locations. We do not have plans to close additional stores in this market at this time,' a Stop & Shop spokesperson told Inc.
The spokesperson added that employees working at the affected stores will be offered opportunities to transfer to nearby locations wherever possible.
Earlier this year, Stop & Shop also closed seven dedicated e-commerce fulfillment centers, instead moving to a model where store employees pick online grocery orders directly from supermarket shelves.
The company simultaneously invested heavily in modernizing its remaining stores, remodeling around half of its estate since launching a revitalization campaign in 2018.
Ahold Delhaize USA chief executive JJ Fleeman previously said the company had carefully reviewed its portfolio before making the difficult decision to close stores.
'Stop & Shop has already evaluated its overall portfolio and will make difficult decisions to close underperforming stores to create a healthy store base for the long term,' he told Grocery Dive.
The move comes at a difficult time for the grocery industry.
Traditional supermarket chains are facing mounting pressure from Walmart, Costco, Aldi, Lidl and online grocery services, all while grappling with higher labor, transportation and operating costs.
Stop & Shop famously appeared in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy when Happy works as a grocery store clerk before embarking on his unlikely golfing career
Unlike many retailers, supermarkets typically operate on razor-thin profit margins, making it difficult to absorb rising expenses without passing them on to shoppers.
At the same time, customers have become increasingly price-conscious, with many splitting their weekly grocery shop between multiple retailers or opting for lower-cost private-label products.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index, grocery prices rose 2.7 percent in June, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects food prices to continue climbing in 2027, adding further pressure on both retailers and consumers.
News of the latest closures quickly spread across social media, where many shoppers said they were unsurprised by the decision - but not everyone viewed the closures as a cause for alarm.
One self-described longtime employee wrote: 'Closings happen quite frequently... Either to block competitors or the area is not developing as they thought. Just business.'
For shoppers who rely on the affected supermarkets, however, the closures could mean longer drives for groceries, pharmacy services and online order pickups.
The stores confirmed for closure in 2024 were located in Brockton, East Walpole, Franklin, Raynham, Shrewsbury, Springfield, Stoughton and Worcester in Massachusetts; Dayton, Edison, Howell, Marlboro, Paramus, Phillipsburg, Piscataway, South Plainfield, Toms River (Route 37) and West Milford in New Jersey; Ansonia, Danbury, Stamford (two locations) and Torrington in Connecticut; the Bronx (two stores), Hempstead, Huntington, New Hyde Park, Staten Island and Valley Stream in New York; and Johnston and Providence in Rhode Island.
The latest closures will see stores in Basking Ridge, Westfield and Toms River's Lakewood Road in New Jersey close, along with the Clinton, Connecticut location, before the end of the year.
