Stop & Shop Announces Store Closings In New Hampshire

Quincy, MA – The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC announced plans to close its six Stop & Shop stores and three gas stations in New Hampshire. The Stop & Shop stores and gas stations at the following locations will close on or before September 21, 2013.

•7 Kilton Road, Bedford, NH 03110
•9 Wason Road, Hudson, NH 03051
•137 Portsmouth Ave, Exeter, NH 03833
•601 Nashua St., Rte. 101A, Milford, NH 03055
•777 South Willow St., Manchester, NH 03103
•365 Lincoln St., Manchester, NH 03103

“We continually assess our stores and operating performance. Our six stores in New Hampshire have not achieved performance goals after many years of investment, and we have made the difficult decision to close these underperforming stores,” said Joe Kelley, president, Stop & Shop New England Division. “This action will allow us to focus our investment and resources on continuing to grow our business in other areas of the Northeast.”

“We are sensitive to the impact this decision will have on our associates, our loyal customers, and the communities we have served. We deeply appreciate the years of dedicated service our associates in New Hampshire have provided since 2003, and the loyal patronage from our customers,” said Kelley.

Stop & Shop will work with UFCW Local 1445 and state and local government officials to provide job search assistance and to support associates who will be impacted.

Information regarding closing of these stores will be conveyed at each location as it becomes available. Customers with questions can call Stop & Shop's Consumer Affairs Department at 1-800-767-7772 (option 3, then option 6) Monday through Friday from 8:30am – 5pm.

About Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC employs approximately 63,000 associates and operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. The company helps support local communities fight hunger, combat childhood cancer and promote general health and wellness – with emphasis on children's educational and support programs. In its commitment to be a sustainable company, Stop & Shop is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and EPA's Smart Way program; has been awarded LEED (EB) certifications for 54 of its existing stores; and has been recognized by the EPA for the superior energy management of its stores. Stop & Shop is an Ahold company. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com or www.facebook.com/stopandshop.

Cautionary notice
This press release includes forward–looking statements, which do not refer to historical facts but refer to expectations based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those included in such statements. These forward–looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the strategic operating plans of management of Stop & Shop and the expected impact thereof on store operations, employees, customers, including its intention with respect to Stop & Shop to (1) close certain stores and (2) provide staff assistant initiatives and a job outplacement firm and work with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local union 1445 and state and local government officials, in order to assist store associates who are impacted by the closing these stores, and the expected timing of each of the foregoing. These forward–looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward–looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the information set forth in these forward–looking statements include, but are not limited to, the ability of Stop & Shop management to implement and complete successfully its strategic plans or delays or additional costs encountered in connection with their implementation, the effect of general economic conditions, increases in or changes in competition and the actions of competitors, the inability to address, or delays in addressing, legal obstacles or closing conditions to the consummation of any store closings, actions of courts, government agencies, unions and other third–parties, and other factors some of which are discussed in the public filings of Stop & Shop's parent company, Koninklijke Ahold N.V.(Ahold) Many of these factors are beyond Stop & Shop's ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward–looking statements, which only speak as of the date of this press release. Stop & Shop and Ahold do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward–looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as may be required under applicable laws.

Source: Stop & Shop