Food Basics USA

For information about the formerly affiliated Food Basics in Canada, see Food Basics.
This article needs to be updated. Please update this article
to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(December 2015)

Food Basics was a no-frillsdiscount supermarket chain owned and Food Basics

operated by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in the northeastern
United States.

Food Basics carried major national brands, as well as A&P's portfolio of

Food Basics logo, circa 2012
private labels,[1] including America's Choice, A&P's flagship private
label, Food Basics and Home Basics, Live Better, and Green Way. The
stores also included brands usually not carried by other A&P family stores.

History edit

The Food Basics in North Bergen, New Jersey

Industry Retail
Canadian origins edit
Grocery
Founded Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1995 -
The Food Basics concept began in 1995, in Canada, where it was launched Canadian concept)
by A&P's Canadian subsidiary. As of 2009, the two chains were no longer Passaic, New Jersey, United States
connected, as the Canadian Food Basics stores are now owned and (2001 - US concept)
operated by Metro Inc., which purchased A&P's Canadian stores.[2]
Headquarters Montvale, New Jersey, United
States
Area served Northeastern United States
Parent The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea
Bringing Food Basics to America edit
Company

In 2001, A&P brought the Food Basics concept to the U.S., reopening its closed A&P supermarket in Passaic, New Jersey as its first
Food Basics in the US. A&P was pleased with the results and within several months of opening the Passaic store, A&P decided to
expand the Food Basics banner into nearby Paterson, and renovated an A&P store there.

A part of A&P's history edit

Some of the new Food Basics stores had been part of the A&P family for decades, including the Paterson store mentioned
above[3] with A&P's former Atlantic Regional headquarters nearby, at 90 Delaware Avenue. A&P operated a store in one building for
years before constructing nearby the facility that now houses Food Basics.

Other Food Basics stores, such as the Wallington, New Jersey Food Basics store, became part of A&P when the chain purchased Stop
& Shop's New York Metro division in 1982.

The shopping bag policy edit

From its beginning, American Food Basics stores followed the same business plan as the Canadian stores; no in-store bakery or deli,
some locations had no in-store butcher and customers were not given 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.

In the US, this was not a popular policy. Food Basics eventually stopped charging for shopping bags and started using the typical
cheaply made plastic bags used by its competitors and its fellow A&P banner stores.
In its early years, all of Food Basics' stores in the United States had been small former A&Ps. In the mid-2000s, A&P expanded the
Food Basics concept to larger stores, including a former A&P Food Market in North Bergen, New Jersey, a former Super Fresh Super
Store in Northeast Philadelphia, a Pathmark Super Center in the Eastsidesection of Paterson (the city's second Food Basics store) and
an A&P Super Foodmart in Bridgeport, CT.

In nearly all cases, the converted Food Basics stores were able to retain elements of the A&Ps it took over. The North Bergen and
Paterson Eastside stores kept the pharmacy departments that their old stores had and were the only Food Basics to offer
pharmacies. Five Food Basics kept the old stores' liquor licenses, with a sixth store selling only beer.[citation needed]

In 2006, A&P made changes to the Food Basics model, opening a prototype store in Glassboro, New Jersey. The newer format
emphasized 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.

In 2014, A&P operated 10 Food Basics stores; seven were in New Jersey, two in Philadelphia, and one in Brooklyn.[citation needed]

In 2015, A&P filed for bankruptcy a second time and has sold or closed all its stores. All but one Food Basics stores has been
purchased by other supermarket operators and reopened. One Philadelphia store is currently vacant.

References edit

1. ^ List of private brands used by Food Basics

2. ^ "Metro Inc. in deal to buy A&P Canada for $1.7B" . CBC News. 19 July 2005. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
3. ^ Historic A&P/Food Basics store in Paterson

VTE

A&P FreshBest Cellars/A&P Wine &

Inactive banners
SpiritsFood BasicsWaldbaum'sA&P CanadaA-MartDominionFamily MartFarm
People Evelyn AdamsEmmett AshfordRichard F. ColburnBill CorbusMichael J. CullenJ
Products Bokar CoffeeEight O'Clock CoffeeQuaker MaidRed Circle Coffee
Former facilities A&P WarehouseA & P Food Stores BuildingGreat Atlantic and Pacific Tea Com
Related "A&P"The A&P GypsiesBarkPepsi 400 Presented by Farmer JackGreat Atlantic