The Lincoln Plaza Stop & Shop in Worcester will close before November 2nd, despite city officials’ attempts to persuade the business to reconsider.
Stephanie Cunha, regional retail communications leader for Stop & Shop, confirmed to MassLive that the decision to close Stop & Shop at 545 Lincoln St. is final and that the company will help employees there keep their jobs if they choose. Those who choose to continue working for Stop & Shop will be relocated to neighboring stores, according to Cunha. Two Stop & Shop stores – at 940 West Boylston St. and 949 Grafton St. – will remain open in the city.
“Retaining our team of incredible associates has been a priority for us, and associates at all affected Stop & Shop stores will be offered other opportunities within the company,” Cunha wrote. “Our Lincoln Street team will be relocated to neighboring stores so customers will continue to see familiar faces when shopping at our other two Worcester stores.”
Stop & Shop and city of Worcester officials held a private meeting on July 29 to discuss the closure and plans to rehire the Lincoln Plaza store’s employees at other locations, according to Cunha and Tom Matthews, a spokesman for Worcester City Manager Eric Batista.
“There will be communication through signage in stores, the weekly newsletter and emails to customers a few weeks before the closure,” Cunha wrote.
The Lincoln Plaza Stop & Shop is one of eight stores in Massachusetts that the company is closing. Stop & Shop stores in Brockton, Raynham, Halifax, Shrewsbury, Newton, Springfield and Pembroke will close by year’s end, as will stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. In total, 32 stores will close by year’s end.
Ahold Delzhaize, Stop & Shop’s parent company, announced the closure of these stores in May with the stated goal of improving the supermarket chain’s overall performance.
After the closures, Stop & Shop will still operate more than 350 stores in the Northeast.
