Stop & Shop/Giant to Roll Out Staples Store-in-Stores

FRAMINGHAM & QUINCY, Mass -- The Stop & Shop Co. and the nation's top ranked office supply chain have revealed plans to roll out Staples branded store-within-a-store sections across all 550 Stop & Shop and Landover, Md.-based Giant Food supermarkets.

Beginning in July, the Ahold-owned grocery banners will offer a wider range of supplies for school and home, at competitive prices, in a designated section of the supermarket located in close proximity to the center store grocery department.

The partnership is the grocer's latest step in its strategy to collaborate with established brands -- Dunkin' Donuts and Boston Market are two such partners -- to drive traffic and loyalty among existing and new customers, Robert Keane, spokesperson, for the Quincy, Mass.-based Ahold subsidiary, told Progressive Grocer. "This will provide shoppers with more services and a convenient alternative to pick up something else during their weekly shopping trip," said Keane.

The Staples store-within-a-store concept is already in roughly 36 Stop & Shop locations, where the idea was tested, according to Keane. The "results in the test stores were better than expected," he added.

The Staples branded areas typically range between 40 to 80 feet and feature 500 to 1,200 popular school and home office products, including a variety of national and Staples brands -- some of them available in supermarkets for the first time -- in consumer-sized packs.

In addition to traditional school and home office supplies, the assortment includes copy and photo papers, ink cartridges and technology products. Marc Smith, president and c.e.o. of Stop & Shop and Giant/Landover, said "Staples has created a model that is easy to execute and fits perfectly with what our customers need."

Ron Sargent, Staples' president and c.e.o. commented that "Stop and Shop enables us to reach a consumer segment that might not typically shop at Staples." Staples is also testing a similar program in select Kroger stores in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.

Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop operates 349 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York; while Giant Food LLC, headquartered in Landover, MD, operates 203 namesake and Super G stores in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, 174 of which include full-service pharmacies.

--Meg Major
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