South Orange, New Jersey: The new Stop & Shop supermarket in South Orange opened its doors to shoppers Friday morning.
The store, located at 407 Valley Street near the Maplewood border, operated as a Pathmark location until October 14th. New lighting, signage, and refrigeration systems were installed during the past week, and several former Pathmark employees are now employed by Stop & Shop.
The South Orange Pathmark was the only supermarket owned by The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) in Essex County to have been acquired by Stop & Shop, which is based in Massachusetts. Although two Essex County markets that were owned by A&P were sold to Pennsylvania-based ACME Markets, most locations have not been sold. These stores will close in the near future should no company offer to purchase them.
The new South Orange supermarket is one of several changes that have been made to the Valley Street corridor in the village and neighboring Maplewood in recent months. A CVS/pharmacy location opened in Maplewood in June where an A&P supermarket once stood, and Blink Fitness recently announced plans to build a club location at the other side of Stop & Shop's parking lot. According to public records, Blink Fitness had been considering South Orange for a new location for several months. In addition, a new mixed use development consisting of apartments and retail space is slated to be completed by the end of this year at the corner of Valley and Third Streets.
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