Stamford, CT - The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company has reached an agreement to acquire the business of Bongiorno Supermarket Inc., which operates a 35,000 s.f. food store at 288 West Avenue in Stamford, Connecticut.

Faith Weiner, Senior Director of Government and Media Relations for Stop & Shop, commented that the arrangement would give Stop & Shop the opportunity to introduce its particular style of quality food merchandising to neighborhood customers, while providing the Bongiorno family with the ability to develop its plans for the future use of its properties.

Concurrent with this transaction, Stop & Shop is continuing to pursue formal approvals to build a new 69,000 s.f. state-of-the-art supermarket at West Main Street and Alvord Lane, adjacent to the existing Cytec building.

According to Weiner, "Once the permitting process is completed, we will be able to serve area customers in a more comprehensive manner with the latest in one-stop shopping at a new location." Weiner noted that when Stop & Shop's planned West Main Street store becomes operational, activities at the current Bongiorno location will be discontinued.

Founded in 1951 as a 7,000 s.f. store at 89 Waverly Place in Stamford by George and John Bongiorno, the supermarket has been owned and operated continuously by family members, including Frank Bongiorno and Maurice Nizzardo

George Bongiorno, spokesperson for Bongiorno Supermarket, noted, "During the past ten years, we have been approached by many food retailers about buying our business."

He continued, "More recently, we have determined that there are better uses for our West Avenue properties and thus, have wanted to develop them, appropriately." The Bongiorno family has other investment properties in the city of Stamford.

Bongiorno added, "We thought this might be an opportunity to enable our employees and customers to be well-served, both today and in the future and also allow our family to pursue other interests."

Bongiorno Supermarket will close at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 31 to allow Stop & Shop to update the in-store technology, introduce new signage, and implement some interior modifications. The store will reopen as a Stop & Shop on August 5 at 7:00 a.m. and operate Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All current Bongiorno employees will be given the opportunity to remain and work for Stop & Shop.

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, based in Quincy, MA, employs more than 57,000 associates and operates more than 340 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Stop & Shop is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold, N.V., one of the world's largest food retailers.