A&P sells off intellectual property

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., which entered bankruptcy nearly three years ago before closing all of its stores, sold "substantially all of its intellectual property assets," which consist of its store banners and private labels. Hilco Streambank, a company retained by A&P in 2015, announced that it brokered the sale of 23 A&P brand names, including the following:

Supermarket Banners: Pathmark, Super Fresh, A&P, Food Emporium, Waldbaum's, Food Basics, among others

Private Labels: America's Choice, Greenway, Woodson & James, Hartford Reserve, Great Atlantic Seafood Market, among others

According to a Hilco spokesperson, the sale resulted "in a seven-figure overall recovery."

Some of the transactions were disclosed publicly, and they included the $1.75 million sale of Food Emporium IP assets to the Key Food Cooperative, and the $1 million sale of Pathmark IP assets to a unit of Foodtown operator PSK Supermarkets.

A&P, founded in New York City in 1859, was the world's largest retailer by 1930 with nearly $3 billion in annual sales and 16,000 stores.

A&P to put store names up for auction

Now that A&P's bankruptcy proceedings, including the auctions for its remaining stores, are winding down, the company announced that it plans to take bids for its intellectual property, including brand names for its stores and private brands, its slogans and customer data.

Brands up for grabs include A&P, Pathmark, Waldbaum's, Super Fresh, Food Basics and Best Cellars. Bids are due on November 19.

WARN Notices filed for 94 A&P stores in New Jersey

WARN notices were filed with the state of New Jersey for 94 A&P, Superfresh, Pathmark and Food Basics stores that are slated for closure. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) was enacted in 1988 and requires employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs. The notice must be provided to either affected workers or their representatives (e.g., a labor union), and to the appropriate unit of local government.

Here is the list of stores from the New Jersey state website: NJ Department of Labor

A website - apteanotice.com - has been set up by A&P that lists the stores closing and the stores under agreement with Acme, Ahold (Stop & Shop) and Key Foods.

A&P may put itself up for sale

According to multiple reports, A&P, formally known as the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, has hired Credit Suisse to help review strategic alternatives that may include selling the company. A&P brands include Pathmark, which recently announced the closing of three stores in New Jersey, as well as Superfresh, Waldbaum's, The Food Emporium and Food Basics.

Bloomberg News reports that A&P may also raise new capital from investors, consider new business partners or refinance the company.

A&P, which emerged from bankruptcy last year, has more than 300 locations. The Wall Street Journal said yesterday that the company's asking price could be as high as $1 billion.

A&P close to a sale of its Food Emporium chain

According to a story in Crain's New York Business, the sale of A&P's 16-store Food Emporium chain in Manhattan is imminent. As of late last month, the investment banking firm Duff & Phelps was soliciting final bids from buyers, including Kings Food Markets, a 24-store chain that operates in New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, that wants several of the Food Emporium stores.

Gristedes, which operates approximately 30 stores in Manhattan and surrounding areas, submitted a bid for the entire chain, but it appears A&P is leaning towards a sale to multiple buyers.

The Crain's story also reports that the union representing some of Food Emporium's 1,100 employees is suing A&P to stop a sale to buyers who would not honor its current labor contracts, although such a buyer would only have to honor the contracts if A&P made it a condition of the sale.

A&P, officially known as the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, also owns Pathmark, Super Fresh, Waldbaum's and Food Basics grocery stores.

A&P to sell Food Emporium's Manhattan stores

The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P), the parent company of Pathmark and Super Fresh, announced earlier this week it is selling Food Emporium's 16 Manhattan locations. The stores, its leases and the brand name are for sale.

Earlier this year A&P emerged from bankruptcy as a private company, and also with 75 fewer stores than it had pre-bankruptcy. In addition to Pathmark and Super Fresh, the company owns Waldbaum's and Food Basics. Analysts believe the proceeds from the sale of Food Emporium will be invested into the other A&P brands.