Stop & Shop’s Needham Street location is slated to close permanently on Thursday, August 29.
The closure comes as part of a larger move by the supermarket chain to close 32 of its stores across the five states in which it operates: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
The Needham Street location was a part of the company’s bfresh Market initiative, which operated select stores on a smaller, urban scale – a model that deviates from the Stop & Shop standard. The store opened in December, 2018 – the first bfresh store in Massachusetts – creating 100 new jobs, according to Stop & Shop. The bfresh model highlighted fresh, local produce; in-store experiences like a smoker and a kombucha fountain; more grab-and-go options; mobile payments; and curbside pickup.
In a statement to Fig City News, Stop & Shop spokesperson Stephanie Cunha said that challenges stemming from the bfresh model led to the store’s closure.
“Based on our business model, we have decided that we will no longer support bfresh stores. Both of the stores that were remaining in this portfolio were included in our store closure announcement last month,” she said.
President of Stop & Shop Gordon Reid said in a statement that for those who continue to shop with the company, the closures will result in significant improvements to their shopping experience.
“Stop & Shop is focused on growing through large, multi-year price investments and a stronger customer value proposition, both in-store and online,” he said. “This means we’ll be focused on delivering lower everyday prices, as well as even more savings for our customers through strong promotions.”
For many regular customers, however, the closure of the Needham Street store promises to be a major inconvenience.
Lynn May has been shopping at the Needham Street location for years. She said that the closure will force her to begin shopping at the company’s Dedham location, a 20-minute drive from the Needham Street store.
“I like the store, and I wish it wasn’t [closing],” she said. “I have no choice. I have to shop at other shops.”
For others, the closure has little impact. One Stop & Shop customer, who requested to remain anonymous, said that while the store’s Needham Street location made it easy to combine shopping with other errands, its smaller footprint significantly limited its ability to meet her shopping needs.
“It’s a convenient location, but it’s not comparable to a full supermarket,” she said. “I’ll keep going to Star Market in Chestnut Hill, where I have always gone as my primary [store].”
Greg Reibman, President and CEO of the Charles River Chamber of Commerce, said that considering the market for groceries in the area serviced by Stop & Shop, soon to be bolstered by the opening of the 800-unit Northland Project and other neighboring housing projects, he anticipates another grocery store opening nearby.
“I think that eventually, by the time those projects are moving along, we’ll see another grocery store in the Needham Street area. It could very well be that another store that has a smaller business model would find that location attractive,” he said. “I’m optimistic that eventually, we’ll see another grocery store want to be there.”
Kerry McCormack, Director of Development at Crosspoint Associates, said that he hopes another grocery store will take Stop & Shop’s place. His firm oversaw the development of Newton Nexus, the shopping center that was home to Stop & Shop, and works to curate tenants.
“What we focus on in a lot of our shopping centers is finding that key grocer that can support that market – and working with them and supporting tenants around them,” he said.
However, McCormack said that considering the building’s smaller footprint, it may be challenging to find a grocery store capable of flourishing in the space.
“It’s going to be important to find the right grocer that can operate here if we can,” he said. “Otherwise, we’ll have to kind of look at options for finding the next best mix of tenancy there.”
Until then, shoppers will have to direct their business to other stores.
After the closures, Stop & Shop will continue to operate more than 350 stores. The company has said that all employees at impacted locations will be offered new positions.
Theo Younkin is a Fig City News intern and a rising junior at Newton South High School, where he will be co-managing editor of the Lion’s Roar this year.
