Price Chopper lays off 80 at HQ

Price Chopper Supermarkets on Wednesday eliminated 80 positions in the company, citing a need to improve efficiency amid rising expenses.

The cuts were made through a combination of attrition and incumbent positions, and include management, field, clerical and administrative support, the Schenectady, N.Y.-based retailer said. Store-level positions were not impacted.

“Operating a retail business that lives on narrow margins and employs 22,000 people has become increasingly more challenging given today's realities,” Jerry Golub, president and CEO of Price Chopper, said in a statement. “Skyrocketing health care costs, rising commodity and fuel costs, rising wages, and reduced SNAP benefits, on top of increased competition from a variety of food and non-food businesses that have added food to their mix, have made it more imperative than ever for us to become as efficient as possible in order to best position the company for long-term success.”

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Price Chopper has seen additional competitive pressure in its markets particularly since Wakefern/ShopRite expanded to the Capital Region in recent years.

"Despite the difficulty of the decisions implemented today, we are very optimistic about the future of our company and ready to face the challenges that lie ahead,” Golub added. “Though painful, these actions serve to better position Price Chopper as we move forward, both strategically and competitively."

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