Food Basics USA
Food Basics logo, circa 2012
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The Food Basics in North Bergen, New Jersey
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| Founded |
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| Headquarters | Montvale, New Jersey, United States |
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Area served
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Northeastern United States |
| Parent | The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company |
Food Basics was a no-frills discount supermarket chain owned and operated by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in the northeastern United States.
Food Basics carried major national brands, as well as A&P's portfolio of private labels, including America's Choice, A&P's flagship private label, Food Basics and Home Basics, Live Better, and Green Way. The stores also included brands usually not carried by other A&P family stores.
The Food Basics concept began in 1995, in Canada, where it was launched by A&P's Canadian subsidiary. As of 2009, the two chains were no longer connected, as the Canadian Food Basics stores are now owned and operated by Metro Inc., which purchased A&P's Canadian stores.
In 2001, A&P brought the Food Basics concept to the U.S., reopening its closed A&P supermarket in Passaic, New Jersey as its first Food Basics in the US. A&P was pleased with the results and within several months of opening the Passaic store, A&P decided to expand the Food Basics banner into nearby Paterson, and renovated an A&P store there.
Some of the new Food Basics stores had been part of the A&P family for decades, including the Paterson store mentioned above with A&P's former Atlantic Regional headquarters nearby, at 90 Delaware Avenue. A&P operated a store in one building for years before constructing nearby the facility that now houses Food Basics.
Other Food Basics stores, such as the Wallington, New Jersey Food Basics store, became part of A&P when the chain purchased Stop & Shop's New York Metro division in 1982.
From its beginning, American Food Basics stores followed the same business plan as the Canadian stores; no in-store bakery or deli, some locations had no in-store butcher and customers were not given free plastic bags. In the latter case, customers were encouraged to bring their own bags, with a small discount for each bag used, or use cardboard boxes provided for free. A sturdier plastic bag than a typical supermarket shopping bag was available to customers for a small fee.
In the US, this was not a popular policy. Food Basics eventually stopped charging for shopping bags and started using the typical cheaply made plastic bags used by its competitors and its fellow A&P banner stores.
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Wikipedia