The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company

The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, is a supermarket chain in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1859 as The Great American Tea Company by George Huntington Hartford and George Gilman. It was renamed "The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company" in 1870. In 1920s and 1930s the company dominated the American retail market. The pressure it put on its suppliers led to the passing several antipredatory-pricing laws by Congress.

Today the company is no longer among the largest retailers in the United States, but it operates a total of 630 stores, 453 stores through its A&P US unit in ten U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and 237 stores through its A&P Canada unit in the Canadian province of Ontario. The company, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, boasts an annualized sales volume of almost eleven billion dollars and employs approximately 78,000 workers. Its corporate and U.S. headquarters is located in Montvale, New Jersey and its Canadian headquarters is located in Toronto. It operates ten other retail banners besides A&P, which include conventional supermarkets, food and drug combination stores, and discount food stores.

Its current President & CEO is Christian W.E. Haub, a member of the family that owns the Tengelmann Group of Germany. The Tengelmann Group bought a majority stake in A&P in 1979.

On May 10, 2005, the company announced plans to sell the Canadian operations, and also to divest its Midwest operations. [1][2]

Banners

A&P US

• A&P
• Waldbaum's
• A&P Super Foodmart
• The Food Emporium
• Super Fresh
• Farmer Jack
• Sav-A-Center
• Food Basics

A&P Canada

• A&P
• Dominion
• Ultra Food & Drug
• Food Basics
• The Barn Markets

External links

• The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc.
• A&P Canada