Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company

Also known as A&P, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, was an American chain of grocery stores that operated from 1859 to 2015. From 1915 through 1975, A&P was the largest grocery retailer in the United States (and, until 1965, the largest U.S. retailer of any kind).

Key facts

Company.name: The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
Company.logo: A&P logo.svg
Company.logo_size: 150px
Company.logo_caption: A&P logo, 2006–2009
Company.image: A&P Headquarters.JPG
Company.image_size: 250px
Company.image_caption: A&P's final headquarters, now demolished and replaced with a townhome complex, in Montvale, New Jersey
Company.trade_name: A&P
Company.former_name: Gilman & Company (1859–1869)
Company.type: Public
Company.industry: Grocery
Company.fate: Chapter 11 bankruptcyand Liquidation

~55 min read

Article

26 sections

Contents

History
1859–1878: Gilman era
1878–1951: Hartford era
Evolution of the grocery store
Development of economy stores
Adding stores that included grocery, meat, produce, and dairy
Converting to supermarkets
1951–1974: Post-Hartford era
1975–2001: Scott/Wood era
2001–2015: Final years as a supermarket chain
First Chapter 11 bankruptcy (2010)
Second Chapter 11 bankruptcy and supermarket shutdown
Store design
Futurestore
Pharmacies
Overseas ventures
Store names
Private brands
''Woman's Day''
In arts, entertainment, and media
See also
References
Citations
Bibliography
Further reading
External links

A&P was considered an American icon that, according to The Wall Street Journal, "was as well known as McDonald's or Google is today", and "the Walmart of its time." At its peak in the 1940s, A&P captured 10% of total US grocery spending. Known for innovation, A&P provided variation in the US consumer's diet and nutritional habits by making available a vast assortment of food products at much lower costs. Until 1982, A&P also was a large food manufacturer.