SCHENECTADY— When ShopRite notified its workers and state labor officials that it planned to close its five Capital Region stores back in October — resulting in nearly 570 workers losing their jobs — the grocer already had a deal in place for Schenectady-based Price Chopper to acquire the locations, real estate documents recently filed with Albany County show.
The documents, signed by executives from Price Chopper and Wakefern Food Corp, ShopRite’s parent company, reveal that an initial asset purchase agreement was reached July 17 — three months before ShopRite confirmed Oct. 20 that it would shutter the stores in Albany, Bethlehem, Colonie, Niskayuna and North Greenbush.
The announcement created a flurry of speculation among consumers about which supermarket chain might acquire or lease the stores once they closed, possibly leading to a new entrant into the Capital Region supermarket scene such as Wegmans. The New Jersey-based grocery chain announced it would close the Capital Region ShopRite locations by Dec. 9 — and then quickly sold out of product or shipped it to other locations, leading to the store’s closures before Thanksgiving.
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