Stop & Shop Celebrates New Andover, Mass., Store

QUINCY, Mass., June 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC today welcomed customers to its new Andover, Mass., store. Located in the Shawsheen Plaza, 209 North Main St., the modernized store will employ 150 associates and boast full-service departments including meat, seafood, deli, bakery and floral. In addition, the store includes prepared foods and cheese departments and a wide selection of natural and organics. The new store also offers a variety of high tech shopping solutions and energy-efficient features.

"For nearly 100 years, customers have relied on Stop & Shop to have quality products at a good value," said Mark McGowan, president, Stop & Shop New England Division. "In preparation for the opening, we worked to bring our signature value and community spirit to Andover. We believe the community will enjoy this fresh shopping experience as well as the quality, selection and customer service they have come to expect from Stop & Shop."

Grand Opening Weekend Celebration

To celebrate its Grand Opening, Stop & Shop is offering the following activities and promotions for customers today through Sunday, June 26:

• Customers can receive $10,000 worth of prizes with the Stop & Shop Own Brands Prize Patrol! Purchase Nature's Promise and Stop & Shop brand products Friday – Sunday and customers could win up to $100 in Stop & Shop gift cards, Red Sox tickets or Fenway Park Tour passes.
• Free $10 Stop & Shop gift cards to the first 50 customers who enter the Andover store, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• A sweepstakes for a chance to win a Grand Prize Harley Davidson Sportster® Forty-Eight; a Second Prize of $2,500 of Stop & Shop groceries; and a Third Prize of $1,000 of Shell gasoline.
• Stop & Shop's Passport Program – customers and kids can tour the store for special treats and a reward at the end of their journey. Travel designated areas of the store, sample food and collect stamps along the way. Visit five areas and adults will receive a free reusable bag (while supplies last), and kids can receive a tasty treat in the bakery! Hours: Friday 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• The celebration continues on Sunday from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. with a book signing featuring Joanne Chang, owner of the popular Flour bakery in Boston and author of the newly published cookbook Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Café.

A Fresh, Innovative Store

In addition to the full-service departments, the new store was built with a range of energy-efficient features intended to modernize the facility. Features include:

• ECM motors in the refrigerated fixtures and walk-in coolers
• Low-mercury energy efficient T5 HO fluorescent light fixtures with occupancy sensors in the storage areas and offices
• LED lights for accent lighting (also in the refrigerated display cases and interior/exterior signage)
• An Energy Management System to monitor the performance of the lighting, refrigeration, and HVAC systems
• Low flow fixtures in the bathrooms and prep areas to reduce water consumption

The new store also offers a variety of innovative shopping solutions for customers, including Check It! self checkout lanes, Scan It! hand held devices that allow customers to scan and bag groceries while they shop, and Order It! deli kiosks where shoppers may pre-order deli items. Red Box and Coinstar® kiosks are also available.

Community Partnerships

Beyond reducing its carbon footprint and hiring locally, Stop & Shop is investing back into the community through robust community partnerships. Stop & Shop will support ongoing initiatives in Andover and throughout New England to fight hunger, combat childhood cancer, and fund health and wellness programs that support and promote nutrition education and physical activity among youth.

Lazarus House Ministries is among the first Andover area organizations to receive support through Stop & Shop. This organization has been designated as the local food pantry partner of the new Andover store and will directly benefit from Stop & Shop's annual Food for Friends program that will run this fall.

Through Food for Friends, customers can feel good every time they shop by donating $1, $3 or $5 at their Andover Stop & Shop. Sixty percent of the funds will go directly to Lazarus House and 40 percent will go to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Stop & Shop will also donate a minimum of $500 from its company contribution fund per store during Food for Friends to strengthen the program.

The supermarket company will also sponsor Andover Day in September, introduce its A+ School Rewards program to support Andover Public Schools and explore supporting other organizations in the Merrimack Valley.

Store Hours

The Andover store is open 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday. For additional store details, information about in-store offerings and savings or Stop & Shop's community partnerships including Food for Friends and A+ School Rewards, visit www.stopandshop.com. Members of the media are also encouraged to contact Laura Carlson at [email protected].

About Stop & Shop

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC employs nearly 62,000 associates and operates more than 390 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 promotes general health and wellness – with an 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 50 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.

SOURCE Stop & Shop Supermarket Company