The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company

:A&P redirects here. For the short story by John Updike see A&P (story).

Related Topics:
John Updike - A&P (story)

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The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, is a supermarket chain in the United States. The company was founded in 1859 as The Great American Tea Company by George Huntington Hartford and George Gilman. It was renamed "The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company" in 1870, and by 1876 had sixty-seven stores, increasing to 1000 by 1915. In 1920s and 1930s, the company dominated the American retail market. In the 1930s, A&P was operating approximately 16,000 stores with a combined revenue of $1 billion. The pressure it put on its suppliers led to the passing of several anti-predatory pricing laws by Congress.

Related Topics:
Supermarket - United States - 1859 - George Huntington Hartford - George Gilman - 1870 - 1876 - 1915 - 1920s - 1930s - Predatory pricing - Congress

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Today, the company is no longer among the largest retailers in the United States, but it operates a total of 630 stores, 427 stores through its A&P US unit in nine U.S. states (Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan) and the District of Columbia. The company, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, boasts an annualized sales volume of almost $11 billion and employs approximately 43,000 workers. Its corporate and U.S. headquarters is located in Montvale, New Jersey. A & P operates ten other retail banners besides A&P, which include conventional supermarkets, food and drug combination stores, and discount food stores.

Related Topics:
New York Stock Exchange - Montvale, New Jersey

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Its current Executive Chairman is Christian W.E. Haub, a member of the family that owns the Tengelmann Group of Germany. The Tengelmann Group bought a majority stake in A&P in 1979.

Related Topics:
Christian W.E. Haub - Tengelmann Group - Germany - 1979

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The company formerly operated 237 stores through its A&P Canada unit in the Canadian province of Ontario. On August 15, 2005, the company finalized its sale of the Canadian operations to Metro Inc., a grocery retailer based in Montreal, for $1.7 billion in cash and shares of Metro. It has also announced plans to divest itself of its Midwest operations.

Related Topics:
A&P Canada - August 15 - 2005 - Metro Inc. - Montreal

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