Halloween Identified As Doomsday For 5 Connecticut Stop & Shop Stores

CONNECTICUT — The five doomed Connecticut Stop & Shop stores will be closing at the end of October.

That is the word from all five stores, which received a corporate email indicating that the doors will shut for good at 3 p.m. on Oct. 31.

A July announcement had already indicated the stores would go dark on or before Nov. 2, according to the corporate closure announcement.

The Connecticut locations closing are:

• 100 Division St., Ansonia
• 211 High St., Torrington (931 Torringford St., Torrington will remain open)
• 1937 West Main St., Stamford (2200 Bedford St., Stamford will remain open)
• 855 Bridgeport Ave., Milford (1360 East Town Road, Milford will remain open)
• 72 Newtown Road, Danbury (44 Lake Avenue Ext., Danbury will remain open

In mid-July, the supermarket chain announced the next steps in its plans to "position the company for growth," which actually means shuttering 32 "underperforming" stores by the fall.

Many are in towns with multiple stores.

After the store closures are complete, Stop & Shop's more than 350 locations will include 81 stores in Connecticut, 115 in Massachusetts, 47 in New Jersey, 91 in New York and 25 in Rhode Island. Stop & Shop staff members will be offered "other opportunities" within the company, according to the announcement.

"Stop & Shop is proud of the deep roots and community ties we have developed as a neighborhood grocer of more than 100 years, and we remain committed to nourishing our associates, customers and communities," Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said. "As we announced in May, Stop & Shop has evaluated its overall store portfolio and made the difficult decision to close underperforming stores to create a healthy base for the future growth of our brand."

Reid also said, "Stop & Shop is focused on growing through large, multi-year price investments and a stronger customer value proposition, both in-store and online. This means we’ll be focused on delivering lower everyday prices, as well as even more savings for our customers through strong promotion. Since 2018, we have completed more than 190 store remodels, with the customer shopping experience in mind. These stores are outperforming other Stop & Shop stores that haven’t been remodeled. We're taking these learnings and implementing them at other stores as we build upon our strong foundation, similar to our new Boston flagship location, opened last month in the Allston Yards development. We look forward to continuing to serve and care for our communities and to grow Stop & Shop as a local brand for many years to come."