Food Basics USA
Encyclopedia
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, is a supermarket and liquor store chain in the United States. Its supermarkets, which are under six different banners, are found in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. A&P's liquor stores, known as...
(A&P) in the northeastern United States. The Food Basics
Food Basics
Food Basics is a discount Canadian supermarket chain owned by Metro Inc. and with all stores within Ontario. It was created by A&P Canada to compete with the successful No Frills warehouse-style supermarket operated by Loblaw Companies...
concept began in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where it was launched by A&P's Canadian subsidiary
A&P Canada
A&P Canada was a Canadian supermarket company from 1927 to 2009.In 1927, A&P opened its first stores in Canada. By 1929, A&P was present in 200 communities in Ontario and Quebec....
. The two chains are no longer connected, as the Canadian Food Basics is owned and operated by Metro Inc., which purchased A&P's Canadian stores. Food Basics (USA) carries all major national brands, as well as A&P's portfolio of private labels, including America's Choice, Master Choice, and Health Pride. Food Basics also offers brands usually not carried by A&P company stores.
In 2001, A&P brought the Food Basics concept to the US, changing its Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...
store from A&P to Food Basics. A&P was pleased with the results, announcing that year that another of its stores, in Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
, would close that November and become a Food Basics. A&P then decided to concentrate their business plan on its newer and larger stores, converting smaller stores to Food Basics. Some of the new Food Basics stores had been part of the A&P family for decades, including the original Paterson store. A&P built a new store on that property later; the company's corporate headquarters was in that building. Other Food Basics, such as the Wallington, New Jersey
Wallington, New Jersey
Wallington is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,335.Wallington was created as a borough on January 2, 1895 , at the height of the "Boroughitis" fever then sweeping through Bergen County...
store, were added to the A&P fold when the chain purchased Stop & Shop
Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is a chain of supermarkets located mostly in the northeastern United States. Its main rivals are Shaw's Star Market and Hannaford in New England, while ShopRite and the A&P family of supermarkets are its main competition in New York and New Jersey.- History :Stop...
's New York Metro division in 1982. For years, nearly all of Food Basics' locations in America were smaller A&P stores. More recently, A&P expanded the Food Basics concept to larger stores, including an A&P Food Market in Fairview, New Jersey, a former Pathmark Super Center in Paterson, and an A&P Super Foodmart in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
which closed in 2011 due to A&P's 2010 bankruptcy filing.
In its beginnings, American Food Basics stores followed the same business plan as the Canadian stores; no fresh meat or deli were offered, some stores did not have fresh produce, and customers were not allowed to receive free plastic bags. In the latter case, customers were encouraged to bring their own bags, with a small discount for each bag used, or use cardboard boxes provided for free. A sturdier plastic bag than a typical supermarket shopping bag was available to customers for a small fee. This was not a popular policy and Food Basics eventually stopped charging for shopping bags and started using the typical cheaply made plastic bags used by its competitors.
In 2006, A&P changed Food Basics, opening a prototype store in Glassboro, New Jersey
Glassboro, New Jersey
Glassboro is a borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 19,068....
. The newer format emphasizes low pricing (or best pricing), fresh produce, cut meats, and a bakery. New signage, colors, and wide aisles were among the changes in the Glassboro store. The Glassboro store was closed in early 2008, along with the Dumont
Dumont, New Jersey
Dumont is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The population was 17,479 at the 2010 Census.Dumont was formed on July 20, 1894, as the Borough of Schraalenburgh from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township, at the height of the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
store.
As of April 15, 2011, A&P operated 11 Food Basics stores in the US; eight in New Jersey, two in Philadelphia (both former SuperFresh stores), and a former A&P in Brooklyn. A&P had operated several Food Basics stores in Michigan and Ohio through its now-defunct Farmer Jack
Farmer Jack
Farmer Jack was a supermarket chain based in Detroit, Michigan. At its peak, it operated more than 100 stores, primarily in southeastern Michigan. In its final years the chain operated as a subsidiary of the New Jersey-based A&P Corporation...
chain; these stores were closed in 2005.