A Century and a Half of A&P: A Timeline

Birth in the 19th Century

1859

Partners George F. Gilman and George Huntington Hartford open a store-warehouse operation in downtown Manhattan (left).

1868

Company adds coffee to its offerings. George Huntington Hartford later gives the brand a name, Eight O'Clock Coffee.

1869

Company, now with 11 stores, renames itself the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., in honor of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Great American Tea Co. name is retained for mail order and wagon routes.

1871

The Great Chicago Fire provides opportunity for A&P to expand to the Midwest.

1878

Gilman retires, leaving company in control of George Huntington Hartford.

1880

George Ludlum Hartford, son of George Huntington Hartford, joins company as a cashier at age 15.

1887

At the company's Vescey Street store in New York, a chemist creates baking powder on-site, marking A&P's entry into the manufacturing business.

1888

John Augustine Hartford, another son of George Huntington Hartford, joins the company at age 16 as a clerk.

Decades of Dominance

1900

Annual sales of $5.6 million; nearly 200 stores. Sales growth sparked in part by premium items — such as china and glassware — available through coupons accrued by shopping.

1907

Corporate headquarters moves from lower Manhattan to Jersey City, N.J.; annual sales of $15 million in more than 70 stores.

1912

John Hartford opens the first A&P Economy Store in Jersey City, N.J. Offering a plain selection of groceries at sharp prices, but no premium items or extras like delivery and credit, the store is a huge success and triggers a massive rollout.

1917

Founder George Huntington Hartford dies; his will stipulates that sons George L. Hartford (as board chairman, right) and John Hartford (as president, left) were to have administrative control of A&P until their deaths.

1919

A&P's coffee division, the American Coffee Corp., becomes a wholly owned subsidiary. A&P becomes the world's largest coffee retailer by 1929, with 90% of its sales coming from its own products.

1924

The “A&P Radio Hour,” featuring Harry Horlick and the A&P Gypsies, begins weekly broadcasts from NBC Studios in New York.

1925

A&P establishes the Atlantic Commission Co. to pioneer fresh fruit and vegetable transportation.

1926

National meat department established, ushering in an era where meat would become a standard offering at U.S. grocery stores.

1927

A&P moves headquarters back to New York, to the Graybar Building in Midtown Manhattan; establishes first presence in Canada with a store in Montreal.

1929

A&P reaches $1 billion in sales, becoming only the second company to do so.

1930

Expansion into California and Washington states; chain reaches peak of 15,737 stores in the U.S.

1937

A&P launches Woman's Day magazine. Monthly circulation grows to 3 million copies by 1944. Noting the success of the self-service supermarket as created by King Kullen earlier in the decade, A&P opens its first supermarket in Braddock, Pa.

1939

A&P operates 1,110 supermarkets and 2,000 smaller grocery stores. National Bakery Division established; its 35 bakeries across the U.S. would contribute around 50% of A&P's profit in coming years.

1950

Ralph W. Burger, former assistant to brothers John and George Hartford, named president.

1951

John Hartford dies.

1957

George Hartford dies.

1958

Burger named chairman of the board; sales surpass $3 billion for the first time, with profits of $53.9 million. Company goes public for the first time, though members of the Hartford family and the Hartford Foundation maintain a controlling interest.

1961

A&P reintroduces premium offerings with Plaid Stamps.

1960s

After years of struggle, A&P exits California.

1963

Burger retires. John Ehrgott, president, is promoted to chairman and chief executive officer.

1965

Massive Ann Page manufacturing plant opens in Horseheads, N.Y. The $25 million, 1.5 million-square-foot center was at the time the world's largest combined food processing and manufacturing plant.

1968

Jay retires; Melvin Allredge named CEO.

Decades of Decline

1969

With sales slowing, A&P begins converting “trouble” stores to a discount format known as A-Mart.

1971

William J. Kane replaces Allredge as CEO.

1972

Discounting trend continues as A&P begins conversion of nearly all of its stores to the WEO format. The discounting and associated marketing spark an industrywide price war, but analysts say the effort is not adequately supported with cost controls, and the resulting decline in profitability nearly sinks the company.

A

1974

Headquarters moved from Manhattan to Montvale, N.J.

1975

A&P names Albertsons executive Jonathan Scott as its new CEO. Scott is the first leader to come from outside the company in its 116-year history. Review leads to the closure of more than 1,200 unprofitable stores.

1979

Tengelmann Group acquires a majority of A&P stock. Plus, an American adaptation of a European limited assortment discounter, Plus, begins rollout. The experiment is eventually abandoned.

1980

A new board of directors appoints James Wood as CEO; massive reorganization, consisting of several market exits and thousands of store closures, follow.

1981

Acquires 17 Stop & Shop stores in New Jersey. Later, rebanners several under a new Sav-A-Center discount brand.

1982

Slimmed-down company, now fewer than 1,000 stores, returns to profitability.

Creates stark, German-inspired “Futurestore” with black and white decor meant to show off colorful products inside.

Launches SuperFresh banner in Philadelphia.

1983

Acquires Kohl's Food Stores, Milwaukee, in the first chain-store acquisition in company history.

1985

Acquires 92 Dominion stores in Ontario.

1986

Purchases Garden City, N.Y.-based Waldbaum Inc., operator of Waldbaums stores on Long Island, and Shopwell Inc., operator of Manhattan-based upscale retailer The Food Emporium.

1989

A&P purchases the 79-store Farmer Jack chain in Detroit from Bowman's Inc. for $76 million.

1992

A&P acquires 42 Big Star stores in the Atlanta area.

1995

Launches Food Basics discount banner in Canada. Exported to the U.S. in 2001 and begins a slow rollout.

1998

Christian Haub, scion of Tengelmann's controlling family, named co-CEO with Wood. Haub takes over as CEO when Wood retires a year later.

Haub introduces “Great Renewal” initiative to close or sell 170 stores and to overhaul outdated technology systems.

1999

Exits Atlanta; Richmond, Va.; and Tidewater, Va., markets.

2000

Completes landmark BridgeMarket site for The Food Emporium.

2003

Company sells Eight O'Clock Coffee to a private equity concern for around $150 million. It was the company's last manufacturing concern.

Madison, Wis.-area Kohl's stores sold to Roundy's; 23 remaining Kohl's stores closed.

2004

A&P consolidates field offices at Montvale.

2005

Sells its profitable Canadian operating companies to Metro Inc. in a “transformative” $1.475 billion deal. Eric Claus, former CEO of A&P Canada, named CEO of U.S. operations as Haub takes role as executive chairman.

2007

After months of speculation, A&P purchases its longtime rival, Pathmark. The $1.3 billion deal provides A&P with leading market share in the Northeast, while Pathmark's owner, private-equity firm Yucaipa, takes stake in combined entities.

Farmer Jack stores in Michigan sold piecemeal or closed; New Orleans stores sold to Rouses.

2008

Pathmark is repositioned as the “price-impact” banner in a multi-format strategy that includes high-end gourmet (Food Emporium), fresh (A&P, Waldbaums, SuperFresh) and discount (Food Basics) stores. Several SuperFresh stores in Philadelphia market are converted to Pathmark banner and format.

2009

As A&P struggles with the Pathmark integration, Claus is fired and Haub (left) resumes control while seeking a successor.

2010

A&P names industry veteran Ron Marshall as CEO in February, but he is abruptly fired in July and replaced by Sam Martin, an executive with longtime ties to Yucaipa. In December, A&P files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking to exit dark store leases, close dozens of stores, and renegotiate burdensome labor and supply contracts.

2012

A&P emerges after 15 months in Chapter 11, with 75 fewer stores, newly renegotiated supply and distribution contracts, union workers agreeing to concessions valued at $600 million and a new capital infusion from Yucaipa. Bankruptcy wipes out Tengelmann interests. Martin embarks on a “neighborhood” store merchandising strategy and stars in a television campaign inviting customers back to stores.

2014

Paul Hertz replaces Martin as CEO.

2015

A&P files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing high labor costs, falling sales and months of heavy losses. Company reveals minority investor Mt. Kellet Capital Management had become majority owner.

Immediately closes 25 of its remaining 300 stores and pursues court-led auction for remaining stores and assets. More than 26,000 workers laid off.