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67-510: After C&S bought Grand Union, it down-scaled most of its operations, keeping only a number of stores in upstate New York and New England open. The chain was sold to Tops Friendly Markets in 2012; in 2013 Tops rebranded the remaining Grand Union stores with the Tops logo and the Grand Union name was discontinued. After Tops and Price Chopper Supermarkets merged in 2021, the combined entity

134-403: A $ 196 million leveraged buyout of the company was engineered between a group of Tops Friendly Markets executives and private equity firm Riordan, Freeman & Spogli . In 1987, Tops installed electronic scanners , one of the last supermarkets to do so. A new era began March 27, 1991 as Tops Friendly Markets, which had grown to 145 total stores and 11,000 associates, was acquired by Ahold ,

201-496: A Bells franchisee, suggested the name "Tops" and the team chose that name because they were determined to give customers the best shopping experience. The company then changed its name to Niagara Frontier Services (NFS). In 1962, franchise systems were established for supermarkets, under the Tops Friendly Markets name, and for smaller stores as B-Kwik. In February of that year, Tops signs went up on seven stores, and

268-421: A Quebec-based supermarket and department store chain. Those locations were quickly rebranded into Steinberg's grocery stores, but over time most of their former Grand Union stores were closed and moved to new stores, due to poor locations compared to local competitors. British corporate raider Sir James Goldsmith acquired Grand Union in the early 1970s through his food conglomerate Cavenham Foods . Grand Union

335-605: A controlling stake in the southern grocery chain Big Star Markets . In October 1986, Grand Union leased ten stores in the Albany area from Weis Markets , including nine stores that had operated under the Albany Public Markets banner. In the mid-1980s, Goldsmith brought in former Target Corporation executive Floyd Hall to manage the chain. Goldsmith also had world-renowned artist Milton Glaser complete

402-842: A former Wegmans location, named by Wegmans as the Pond Street store (which closed in June 2012) on the north side of Syracuse. The store opened on January 15, 2013. On December 6, 2012 Tops Markets announced the acquisition of three Big M supermarkets in Jordan, New York , Elbridge, New York , and Mexico, New York , from the Farrugia family. The Jordan and Elbridge locations held grand reopening ceremonies on April 24, 2013 after renovations and rebannering. The Jordan location closed in October, 2017. In March 2013, Tops Markets announced plans to open

469-571: A franchised International-style store, which operates as a Tops Friendly Market, was opened in Lockport . The International stores feature additional floor space and a product mix of many foods from different world cultures which up until then had not been widely available in the Buffalo area. With many Canadians at the time regularly crossing the border due to relaxed duties after the recently concluded Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement and

536-477: A graphical redesign of the chain, which included the "red dot" theme. Through the new management under Hall, the chain was able to make record-making profits throughout the late 1980s. In 1987, Goldsmith sold is shareholding in Grand Union's parent company, Generale Occidentale to French conglomerate Compagnie Générale d'Electricité (CGE), and in 1988 CGE sold Grand Union to a management buyout led by Hall for $ 655 million. In 1989, investment banker Gary D. Hirsch,

603-725: A major international food retailer based in the Netherlands. The same year, the first Tops Friendly Markets International Super Center opened in Amherst . At that time, the 112,000 sq ft (10,400 m ) store was the largest in Western New York, and boasted the biggest in-store bakery in the entire U.S. In the next few years additional Tops Friendly Markets International stores opened in Niagara Falls , West Seneca , Greece , and Perinton , New York. Also,

670-725: A multi-level Grand Way store was built on a vacant lot across from the Elmwood Park corporate headquarters while the company built a strip mall in nearby Paramus , where the Grand Way anchored one end with the Grand Union anchoring the other. These stores were eventually closed and sold to other competitors, such as Winn-Dixie . The Elmwood Park and Paramus Grand Way stores were sold to Kmart ; both of these stores have since closed. In 1959, Grand Union's 38 stores it operated in Ontario , Canada, were sold to Steinberg's (supermarket) ,

737-610: A new 36,000 sq ft store in Corning, New York . The store opened June 24, 2014 in the former P&C Foods location which closed down and relocated in 2002. On May 23, 2013 Tops Markets announced the acquisition of four Big M supermarkets in Boonville, New York , Adams, New York , Sandy Creek, New York , and Watertown, New York from the Bonisteel family. Generale Occidentale Too Many Requests If you report this error to

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804-534: A new store on Harlem Road ( NY 240 ) in Cheektowaga, New York , in a former Jubilee Foods store. On September 1, 2011, Tops acquired Furnal's Fresh Market in Hilton, New York . It reopened as a Tops on September 29, 2011 On July 19, 2012 it was announced that Tops Friendly Markets will acquire 21 Grand Union stores in October 2012. On May 28, 2013 nine Grand Union stores held grand reopening ceremonies under

871-732: A partner in the firm Miller Tabak Hirsch & Co. acquired a portion of the Grand Union Company with Salomon Brothers. Grand Union was Hirsch's fourth major supermarket purchase since 1987, as he had acquired the Pennsylvania-based Penn Traffic , the Syracuse, New York –based P&C Foods, and the Columbus, Ohio -based Big Bear Stores in the previous two years. Hirsch assumed the position of chairman while Joseph McCaig became CEO. Floyd Hall left upon

938-572: A result of the acquisition, all 585 employees were retained, and renovations totalling more than $ 8 million were announced for the Lockport, Depew, and Buffalo stores. After the acquisition of these stores, only one franchise location remains, in Lewiston . In 2004, Tops Friendly Markets fully remodeled a store in Perinton , and rebranded it Martin's Super Food Store in an effort to revitalize

1005-417: A turnaround of the ailing chain. Harris had recently been an executive at A&P and at Kroger , and had an excellent reputation in the industry. Harris immediately began remodeling stores and building larger ones, which put even more stress on the company's finances and forced another Chapter 11 filing in 1998. The company emerged again in 1999 and had $ 175 million in new capital, which Harris used to finish

1072-636: Is a subsidiary of Northeast Grocery , which also owns the Price Chopper and Market 32 supermarkets based in Schenectady, New York . As of June 2024, the company operated 148 stores and 59 gas station/convenience stores. The chain formerly operated stores in Ohio and Massachusetts . Tops Friendly Markets was co-founded by Armand Castellani, who was born in 1917 in a village outside of Rome, Italy , and Thomas Buscaglia. Castellani's family came to

1139-528: Is expected over the next four to five years. On November 18, 2009, it was announced that the chain would open a new store in Spencerport, New York . This was the first time since the Morgan Stanley acquisition that the chain had opened a new store. It opened on August 18, 2010. The 38,000 sq ft (3,500 m ) location took over space that had previously been occupied by an IGA. Tops

1206-508: Is part of a group of investors interested in purchasing the Tops Markets chain. Flickinger's family co-financed the first 60 Tops Friendly Markets stores that opened, and stated that he hopes to restore the local focus that Tops was originally known for. On June 1, 2007, it was reported that Tops Friendly Markets agreed to repurchase its Lancaster warehouse from C&S Wholesale Grocers , while C&S will continue to operate and manage

1273-694: The Adirondacks region and in Central New York , further east than its market had traditionally been. They also introduced the Tops Xpress convenience store format. By the end of the year, the company celebrated another landmark with the opening of its 150th Tops store, located in Madison, Ohio . This aggressive growth was fueled in part by deliberate understatements of Ahold's debt to the financial markets. When this came to light in 2003, Tops

1340-583: The American Stock Exchange . Subsequently, the company began construction on a perishable warehouse and acquired general merchandise distributor G&G Sales and Service. The following year, 1969, NFS entered the convenience store market by opening the first Wilson Farms Neighborhood Food store in Tonawanda, New York . The same year, Tops Friendly Markets was named Retailer of the Year by

1407-810: The Canadian dollar at 90% of the value to its American counterpart, the new stores were in the right place at the right time and did even better business than expected. The 1990s were marked by a new growth in operations, including the 1996 merger with Finast in Northeast Ohio , expansion across New York, the construction of a new headquarters in Amherst, New York, and the opening of an 848,000 sq ft (78,800 m ) distribution center in Lancaster . By 1998, Tops Friendly Markets' market area stretched from Sandusky, Ohio , to Utica . In January 1999,

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1474-693: The Northeast Ohio market, which consisted of 46 locations. The 46 stores were located in Greater Cleveland , Akron and Norwalk and at the time employed approximately 3,800 full and part-time employees. Tops announced on October 10, 2006 that 18 of its Ohio stores were sold to rival Giant Eagle . The store in Youngstown which closed prior to 2006, was sold, expanded, and converted to Target . An additional store in Sheffield, Ohio ,

1541-486: The 21 remaining Grand Union stores in the Adirondack Region and parts of Vermont. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. On May 28, 2013, grand reopening ceremonies were held for nine stores which had been re-bannered under the Tops name. The remaining 12 stores held grand reopening ceremonies on July 2, 2013, under the Tops banner, effectively bringing an end to the Grand Union supermarket chain. In 2021, it

1608-723: The BonusCard, its customer loyalty program, debuted. In May 1999, all 45 Northeast Ohio Finast stores adopted the Tops Friendly Markets banner. Tops Friendly Markets entered into the new millennium by acquiring the Sugarcreek Stores chain, adding 87 stores to its Wilson Farms division. That summer, Tops installed self-scanning checkouts at 11 stores in Ohio and in late August, the first Tops fueling station premiered in Akron . In 2001, Tops acquired 22 former Grand Union stores in

1675-562: The Brand Names Foundation, an honor it would again earn in 1974. The 1970s saw Tops Friendly Markets, under the leadership of Castellani and Nanula, continue to grow in Western New York, and thrive where competitors struggled. Early in the decade, Tops began to build more company-owned stores. By the mid-70s, the company had expanded into the Rochester area, and over time, it became the only real competitor to Wegmans in

1742-474: The Elmwood Park store, though, and it remained in operation until 2001. In 1956, Grand Union opened a discount department store chain (called Grand Way ) in Keansburg, New Jersey . Many of these stores combined a grocery store and a department store, which was similar to the combination Bradlees and Stop & Shop stores that were around during that time as well. Others were separate stores. For instance,

1809-656: The Frontier Commons Plaza. As a result, the store is now 55,000 square feet instead of the previous 76,000 square feet it formerly occupied. The new location also contains departments and a gas station which were not found in the former location. In 2014, Tops downsized a store in Perinton and an Irondequoit, New York store on East Ridge Road. The Irondequoit store was relocated to the Depot Plaza, which used to be anchored by Kmart . On February 21, 2018, Tops filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. None of

1876-701: The Geneva Town Centre in November 2012. This new store is a 51,364 sq ft (4,771.9 m ) location and has upgraded departments, along with a gas station, that were not in the formerly larger location. Both of these stores had been 84,000 sq ft (7,800 m ) superstores that Tops built in the early 1990s. In 2013, Tops downsized another store in the Rochester suburbs. The Jefferson Rd location in Henrietta, New York , relocated to

1943-533: The Great Bear Market in Niagara Falls. Shortly thereafter, he partnered with Buscaglia, owner of a grocery equipment firm, T.A. Buscaglia Equipment Co. Throughout the 1950s, Buscaglia, as CEO, and Castellani worked together, entering into a cooperative agreement with other small stores to build the foundation of what was to become the Tops Friendly Markets chain. As the local economy boomed in

2010-610: The Lake Flower Plaza). Tops Markets announced they emerged from bankruptcy on November 19, 2018. On February 8, 2021, Price Chopper Supermarkets/Market 32 and Tops Market announced plans to merge. The new parent company will be headquartered in Schenectady, New York. The Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets businesses will retain main offices in Schenectady and Williamsville and will continue to be managed locally by their respective leaders. Nine months later,

2077-573: The Martin's Super Food Store in Amherst reverted to a Tops Market due to customer feedback, and the company announced it would no longer pursue the Martin's brand in New York. As of February 28, 2008, the remaining Martin's locations were all returned to the Tops Friendly Markets brand as part of the sale to Morgan Stanley Private Equity. The decision was made to operate the company under one banner going forward. Ahold announced on November 6, 2006 that

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2144-523: The Northeast, where it was long established, were closed. Many of the medium-sized and most of the larger Grand Union stores, as well as most of the construction permits for stores that had yet to be built or finished, were sold to Ahold while C&S continued to supply the stores. At the time of the acquisition of Grand Union by C&S, Ahold had been looking to establish a presence in the Northeast as well through its Edwards Super Food Stores chain and

2211-493: The Tops banner. The remaining 12 locations were rebannered and held grand reopening ceremonies on July 2, 2013. Note that a large number of these were in the Adirondacks, and were in fact the same stores that had operated as Tops for a few years back in the early 2000s after Grand Union's bankruptcy, as noted above. The Saranac Lake location at Lake Flower Plaza closed in November 2018. On June 27, 2012 Tops Markets announced

2278-633: The Tops store in Cleveland Heights became a Dave's. All Northeast Ohio stores closed by 3 pm on December 8, 2006 and some remain unoccupied. In October and November 2012, Tops closed one store and downsized a second store. The first was the Elmridge Center store in Greece, New York which closed in October 2012. Employees and customers were absorbed into other nearby locations. The Geneva, New York , store downsized and moved into

2345-571: The United States in 1920, and eventually settled in Niagara Falls , where his father, Ferrante, opened a small neighborhood grocery store . Following his mother's death in 1933, Castellani left school to help manage the store. He continued to do so until joining the Army in 1941. He attained the rank of captain after five years' service. After World War II , Castellani returned to the family business. In 1951, he set out on his own and opened

2412-782: The acquisition of the North Boston Market Place in Boston, New York (originally a B-Kwik). On July 11, 2012 Tops Markets announced plans to open its first new store in the City of Syracuse since acquiring the Penn Traffic chain. The store opened in Valley Plaza on the cities south side on October 30, 2012 in a former P&C location although the new Tops was considerably smaller. This location closed in November 2018. In October 2012, Tops Markets began renovations at

2479-404: The acquisition. Under Hirsch's leadership the company was driven into serious debt and ran out of the necessary capital for store improvements and upgrades, making it difficult for them to compete with other better financed retailers. Still, gradually, Grand Union remodeled most of its stores. Some of its older, run-down stores were closed and converted to other uses. Grand Union's big disadvantage

2546-408: The chain was born. By the end of the year, NFS was composed of 15 franchised stores throughout Western New York, employing a total of 300 associates . Throughout the 1960s, NFS implemented warehousing and centralized purchasing to allow the company to grow efficiently. In 1967, Buscaglia died and Armand Castellani took over as chief executive officer . The next year, NFS went public , trading on

2613-560: The chain. The Baytowne Plaza store in Penfield, New York , known to Tops associates as the "Webster store", was not part of the transaction. The owners of the Baytowne Plaza notified all of their tenants that they would not be allowed to renew their lease upon expiration, and Tops Markets closed the doors of their store to the public on October 27, 2007. At 12:01 am on December 2, 2007, Morgan Stanley Private Equity became

2680-566: The early 1950s, Grand Union merged with Great Eastern and began construction on a new shopping center in what was then known as East Paterson (now Elmwood Park ), New Jersey. The strip was to include a new Grand Union store with an office tower attached that would serve as the company's new corporate headquarters. The store and new headquarters opened in 1951. In 1987, Grand Union moved its corporate headquarters to Willowbrook Center in Wayne , abandoning its Elmwood Park offices. Grand Union did not close

2747-600: The first CarryOut Café. It was also the year that Tops won the first of eight Golden Penguin Award from the National Frozen Food Association. In 1985, Castellani was named chairman of the board and Nanula succeeded him as CEO. The following spring, SB Investors became known as Tops Friendly Markets, Inc., as the company went public for the second time, this time on NASDAQ . The following year, as Tops Friendly Markets celebrated its 25th anniversary,

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2814-495: The former flagship in Elmwood Park, were demolished after closing and replaced with other buildings. As for the stores that remained under the Grand Union banner, they became part of a rebranded Grand Union Family Markets , complete with a new logo that discarded the 1980s "Red Dot" logo. Many of the stores did keep the Red Dot, although not all of them did. On July 19, 2012, Tops Friendly Markets announced that it would acquire

2881-531: The grand openings will be from mid-January through mid-February 2022. However, one store in Watertown, New York will go to Piggly-Wiggly instead. Tops Friendly Markets Tops Friendly Markets is an American supermarket chain based in Amherst, New York , that operates stores in Upstate New York , Vermont , and Northern Pennsylvania . The chain operates full-scale supermarkets. Tops

2948-514: The inside, it had Stop & Shop branded items on the shelves. Other supermarket chains that purchased Grand Union stores included Tops , which was at the time also an Ahold subsidiary, Shaw's , Hannaford , Price Chopper and Pathmark . Some of the other medium-sized stores were sold to department store chains such as Marshalls and Kohl's , while many of the smaller stores were sold to independent grocers and drugstore chains such as Eckerd , Rite Aid , CVS , and Walgreens . Other stores, like

3015-586: The marketplace. Martin's Food Markets is a brand owned by Tops Friendly Markets' then-parent company, Ahold , via their subsidiary Giant-Carlisle . The stores were designed in a colorful manner in order to attract both new and old customers. The format worked well for the company, which prompted them to remodel another location in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst into the Martin's Super Food Store format, and then later three other stores in Dunkirk-Fredonia , Derby , and Batavia . As of April 16, 2006,

3082-598: The merger was completed. The stores will now be owned and overseen by Northeast Grocery , with current President and CEO of Price Chopper/Market 32 managing the merger & Tops Friendly Markets CEO Frank Curci taking over in February 2022. The FTC required the combined company to divest from 12 of the combined companies’ stores. On April 29, 2024, Tops Markets announced the acquisition of five locations that were operated by Supermarket Management, Inc. The franchise partner had operated Tops locations for more than 60 years. As

3149-444: The mid-to-late 1950s, the company's operations expanded to include building construction principally devoted to supermarkets. During this time, Savino Nanula, a meat department manager, became an integral part of the company's management team. By 1958, they had set up headquarters in Buffalo, and in 1962 opened their first modern supermarket: a 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m ) store on Portage Road in Niagara Falls. Alfonse DiMino,

3216-836: The new owner of Tops Markets. Ahold 's subsidiary Giant Food of Carlisle provided operational and support services for up to one year after the sale. Max Henderson, Executive Vice President of Tops, resigned his position from the company, and Frank Curci, a former Tops Friendly Markets CEO, returned as CEO of the company. Tops Friendly Markets brought back approximately 100 corporate positions in marketing, merchandising and finance to Buffalo, New York. Recently, those positions had been based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania by Giant Food . Existing stores resumed upgrades and remodeling, and plans for new stores continue. Tim Hortons full-service restaurants or self-serve kiosks as well as Anchor Bar wings were added to all stores. A growth rate of more than 10%

3283-510: The region. Also during this time, Tops Friendly Markets opened its first Pennsylvania store in Bradford . In 1983, SB Investors, a private, New York-based investment group, purchased NFS. By this time, operations had grown to include 65 Tops stores, 50 Wilson Farms stores and 15 B-Kwik Food Stores, employing 7,000 associates. The next year, Tops Friendly Markets introduced Western New York shoppers to direct debit service, Instabank ATMs and

3350-453: The remaining 72 stores in the Tops chain, in New York and Pennsylvania, would be sold. Although they have been profitable, it is a strategic decision for Ahold to focus on other chains such as Giant and Stop & Shop . On November 7, 2006, it was reported that Price Chopper might buy the chain. It had previously bought six former locations. On May 25, 2007, well-known grocery industry consultant Burt P. Flickinger III announced that he

3417-703: The remodels on the stores that were still in the process and to acquire more construction permits for larger stores. He also used some of the money for new store formats, with three emerging. One was "Grand Union Fresh Market", which catered more to an upscale gourmet clientele more in the vein of its competitor Kings . Another was a discount grocery store named "Mega Save". A third was Grand Union's answer to limited selection chains such as Aldi and Save-A-Lot , called "Hot Dot". None of these ideas worked out, and again Grand Union's finances reached dire straits. In addition to this, many of Grand Union's executives were found to have been stealing money such as Don Vaillancourt, who

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3484-415: The stores it wanted to as there was not enough money left. A Fishkill, New York store was sold to a ShopRite ownership group before it could open, and the construction of a store in its home area of Wayne, New Jersey, was halted for over a year. In October 2000, Grand Union filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a third time. Two months later, the bankruptcy was converted to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy after it

3551-930: The stores' day-to-day operations were to be affected. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the reason for filing was due to Tops' $ 720 million debt. This opportunity was being used to restructure financially so it could grow and be more competitive. On August 30, 2018, Tops announced they would be closing ten underperforming locations by November, including two in Syracuse, one on West Genesee Street (NY 5) at Westvale Plaza, and another on South Salina Street (US 11) at Valley Plaza, two in Rochester, one on Lake Avenue and another on North Winton Road, and one each in Perinton, Lyons, Geneva, Fulton, Elmira (the South Main Street location) and Saranac Lake (at

3618-406: The warehouse. Max Henderson, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Tops Markets, stated that he hoped repurchasing the warehouse would make Tops more attractive to a potential buyer. On October 11, 2007, Ahold announced the sale of Tops Friendly Markets, LLC to Morgan Stanley Private Equity in a transaction valued at $ 310 million. Morgan Stanley agreed to purchase 71 of the 72 stores in

3685-413: Was convicted of embezzling over $ 2 million from the company in 2002. Harris was forced out in 2000 and took a job with JCPenney , who hired him to revive their Eckerd drugstore chain. Harris failed to do that as well, and Eckerd was sold to a combination of Jean Coutu Group and CVS Corporation in 2004. In addition to the now-critical debt being borne by Grand Union, the company was unable to build

3752-439: Was a money loser during much of Goldsmith's time of ownership. Goldsmith presided over the closing of the Grand Way chain in 1978 and the exit of Grand Union from most of the rest of the nation outside of the Northeast and New England in the mid-1980s. In the 1980s Grand Union acquired many former A&P stores in northern New Jersey that A&P closed after acquiring the metropolitan New York operations of Stop & Shop and

3819-626: Was announced that an additional five stores, including one in Ithaca, New York , would close. Five in Pennsylvania were sold to Giant Eagle . The Tops name was placed on remaining stores within the next year. In August 2010, Tops was ordered by the Federal Trade Commission to sell seven stores it had acquired from Penn Traffic due to anticompetitive concerns. However, Tops was able to retain some of these locations. The former P&C location in Sayre, Pennsylvania , closed in October 2017, while another former P&C location in Westvale, Syracuse closed in November 2018. On February 28, 2011 Tops opened

3886-410: Was announced that, as part of the merge of Tops and Price Chopper Supermarkets merger, the combined entity had to sell 12 stores to meet regulatory approval. On November 9, 2021, C&S announced that they were purchasing the 12 stores and converting them to Grand Union stores, reviving the brand. As part of the announcement, it was revealed that those 12 stores will be converted to Grand Union and that

3953-401: Was confirmed as the high bidder of Penn Traffic and on January 25, 2010 a federal judge signed off on an agreement in US Bankruptcy Court for the sale of same. The purchase stretched the company's footprint from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire . The Penn Traffic deal was for 79 stores, but Tops closed four stores within two months, in addition to one in Ogdensburg, New York . In March 2010, it

4020-464: Was discovered that the damage Harris' failed ideas and the embezzlement scandal had done to the company left it with so little money that Grand Union could not operate or supply any of its stores. A search for a buyer began, but in spite of the filing the stores continued to do business as before. Grand Union's Chapter 7 filing had a large effect on its supplier C&S Wholesale Grocers , a New England–based wholesale food distributor of which Grand Union

4087-511: Was forced to backtrack. By 2005 the convenience stores had been sold to WFI Acquisition Inc. , which later sold the stores to convenience store operator powerhouse 7-Eleven , and Tops Friendly Markets was also looking to sell the 31 stores it had established in the Adirondack region. P&C Foods acquired 2, Price Chopper acquired six, Hannaford acquired three, and twelve returned to the Grand Union division of C&S Wholesale Grocers . On July 6, 2006, Ahold announced its decision to exit

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4154-401: Was forced to sell 12 stores to meet regulatory approval, and on November 9, 2021, C&S announced that they were purchasing the 12 stores and would convert them to Grand Union stores, reviving the brand. Grand Union started in Scranton, Pennsylvania , as the Jones Brothers Tea Company in 1872. By the 1930s it was one of the largest grocery chains in the United States. The name "Grand Union"

4221-419: Was initially a bidder for Grand Union. Eventually Ahold converted the Edwards stores to Stop & Shop , reintroducing the brand to the area, and later converted the Grand Union stores it acquired to Stop & Shops as well. Ahold began supplying Grand Union stores for some time prior to their rebranding. This meant that although the store retained the Grand Union sign on the outside and various other signage on

4288-430: Was inspired by the desire to "unite shoppers with low prices in a 'Grand Union of Value ' " as described by company associate Elvin Sanders. The store's mascot was Abraham Lincoln wearing a deli apron, and most stores featured a costumed Lincoln to accomplish deeds, talk to customers, and proclaim the general splendor of the Grand Union, and to urge them to "Save the Union" when the company faced economic hardship. In

4355-463: Was its largest customer. C&S also was one of Grand Union's largest creditors, and made a stalking horse offer to take control of the company in early 2001 that was approved. Shortly afterward, C&S began reorganizing Grand Union's operations. This resulted in a consolidation that left the chain with only a relatively small number of stores in smaller cities and towns across Upstate New York and New England . In addition, Grand Union's stores in

4422-451: Was sold on November 29, 2006. The store in Tallmadge, Ohio , was sold to local competitor Acme Fresh Market . On November 9 in a company press release, it was stated that all Tops stores in Northeast Ohio would close whether they have been sold or not. A store in Cleveland's Lee-Harvard Neighborhood and a store in Garfield Heights were converted to Dave's Markets , a small independently owned chain of grocery stores in Cleveland . In June,

4489-449: Was that its average store was 35,000 square feet while most supermarkets being built were over 50,000. The company also built a few larger stores. In 1995, Grand Union's ongoing financial difficulties forced the company into its first bankruptcy as it filed for Chapter 11 . In 1996, shortly after Grand Union emerged, Hirsch announced his resignation and sold his share of the company. In 1997, Grand Union brought in J. Wayne Harris to begin

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