Toms River Pathmark To Close In Supermarket Chain's Restructuring

Shoppers who frequent the Pathmark in the Home Depot shopping center in Toms River will have to find a new place to buy their groceries, after the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., better known as A&P, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, according to a report.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the chain, which operates 296 supermarkets under the banners Pathmark, Super Fresh, Food Basics, A&P, Best Cellars, Food Emporium, and Waldbaum’s, will shutter 25 unprofitable stores in the coming months, and the Pathmark at 1256 Indian Head Road in Toms River is on the list.

The closures are part of a larger restructuring that includes asset-purchase agreements covering about 120 stores at a purchase price of about $600 million, the company statement said.

The Montvale-based 156-year-old company filed documents for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Sunday night with the United States bankruptcy court for the Southern District of New York, NorthJersey.com reported. It is the second time the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

A&P reportedly has three bids for the sale of 120 of its stores for $600 million; about 12,500 employees work at that those locations, USA Today reported.

Without the sales, A&P will have no choice but to liquidate their business and hold what’s called a “fire sale,” Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. chief restructuring officer Christopher McGarry said in the filing, USA Today quoted.

The company employs about 28,500 people, many of them New Jersey residents, and runs Pathmark, Food Basics, Superfresh, and Food Emporium stores, NorthJersey.com reported.

No timeframe has been given for the closures.