Pathmark Closure Not a Surprise, Officials Say

Rumblings of Pathmark’s potential departure had been felt for some time ahead of union officials breaking the news the grocer is pulling out of its Church Road store, and though Cherry Hill officials said the timing may seem sudden, it wasn’t unexpected.

There had been talk of the store, pressed on all sides by competitors, being unprofitable or at very least underperforming, township officials said, and Tuesday’s announcement only confirmed that idea.

“You never like to see a business close or people lose their jobs,” said township spokeswoman Bridget Palmer. “But at the same time, it’s a site that’s been on our radar.”

The township hadn’t gotten any requests for any aid from the company, Palmer said, and the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P), which owns Pathmark and SuperFresh, didn’t give any notice to local officials before telling employees of the closing.

A&P officials have stayed nearly silent on the closure of the Church Road store, along with two other Pathmarks, in Camden and Edgewater Park, not issuing any information publicly on the closings. Requests for confirmation on the closures or comment via email and phone weren’t returned Wednesday.

Though the store’s departure would leave a big hole in the 190,000-square-foot shopping center it helps anchor, along with Big Lots, across from the Cherry Hill Mall, Palmer said there have already been other parties expressing interest in the site, though she didn’t specify anyone.

“We don’t think it’s going to sit vacant very long,” she said.

Camden County officials, meanwhile, said they’d extend the services of the county One Stop Career Center to help employees affected by the closures and expected layoffs—union officials said around 300 people could lose their jobs—in an effort to lessen the blow of two stores in the county going belly-up.

“The Camden County freeholder board is extremely disappointed to hear that Pathmark has decided to close their stores,” Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement.