Hempstead Stop & Shop preparing to close

The Hempstead Stop & Shop on Fulton Avenue is one of four Long Island stores that the Massachusetts-based supermarket chain will close along with 28 other locations across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Stop & Shops in East Meadow, Hempstead, Greenvale and Coram will closed by the end of the year, company officials said.

Company officials said that the stores are being closed because of poor performance. Shedding these locations will enhance the chain’s chance for growth.      

“As we announced in May, Stop and Shop has evaluated its overall store portfolio and made the difficult decision to close underperforming stores to create a healthy base for the future growth of our brand,” Stop and Shop’s president Gordon Reid said in a news release.

Community members are disappointed that the Hempstead location is closing because of the limitations it will create for the community.

“It’s where minorities shop,” Tiffany Brown, Hempstead resident, said. “I’m going to miss it even though it’s expensive.”

It will be an extra challenge for people who face mobility challenges, Corine Bacote,  a Uniondale resident, said. They will have to shop for their groceries further away and find ways to get themselves there.

“Fortunately I can get around, but a lot of people, especially some of the seniors who come here in a cab or bus or something, it’s going to be harder for them to shop,” she said.

The global supermarket chain will continue to make investments in both price and customer experience as a part of it’s growth strategy initiatives in 350 stores throughout the region being effected from the closings.

“Stop and Shop is proud of the deep roots and community ties we have developed as a neighborhood grocer of more than 100 years, and we remain committed to nourishing our associates, customers and communities,” Reid said in the release.

The stores that are impacted are set to close down on or before Nov. 2. All store employees that are being affected by the closings will be offered other opportunities within the company, officials said.