By Kevin McCauley
Robinson Lerer & Montgomery is handling the bankruptcy filing of the storied Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., which at its peak during the 1930s operated 16,000 supermarkets from coast-to-coast.
Founded in 1859, A&P began its decline in the early 1970s, hammered by competition from mega-stores and shrinkage of small-town America. Germany’s Tengelmann bought A&P in 1979.
Today’s A&P has 395 stores in eight states from Massachusetts to Virginia with names including A&P, Pathmark, Waldbaum’s, Food Emporium, Best Cellar’s, Super Fresh and Food Basics. Annual sales are in the $9B range.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved a debtor-in-possession financing package ironed out by JPMorgan Chase on Dec. 13.
A&P CEO Sam Martin is telling customers, employees and vendors that they will see little impact from the Chapter 11 filing.
RL&M senior VP Scot Hoffman and principal Eric Andrus are working the A&P account.
WPP owns R&L&M.
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