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Employees to retain jobs after Stop & Shop closes Lincoln St. store, chain tells city

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Employees to retain jobs after Stop & Shop closes Lincoln St. store, chain tells city

WORCESTER — Stop & Shop representatives told city officials that employees at the 545 Lincoln St. location will retain their employment and seniority at nearby stores after the planned closure of the store, according to a spokesperson for Stop & Shop Tuesday.

City and Stop & Shop representatives met Monday to discuss the closing of the Lincoln Plaza location.

In a statement provided by a Stop & Shop spokesperson, the grocery-store chain said it was also working with the property landlord and the city to find a backfill tenant for the space.

“Stop & Shop remains committed to serving the Worcester community through our two remaining store locations, and we are actively partnering with the city to help ease the impact to our neighbors at our Lincoln Street location, which will close this fall,” the statement read. “Retaining our team of incredible associates has been a priority for us, and associates at all impacted Stop & Shop store locations will be offered other opportunities within the company.  Our Lincoln Street team will be transferred to neighboring stores so customers will continue to see familiar faces while they shop in our other two Worcester locations.”

Thomas Matthews, a spokesperson for the city, confirmed that Stop & Shop assured the city about retaining employees and their seniority.

The meeting comes after the grocery-store chain announced July 12 it was closing the Lincoln Plaza location, one of the 32 stores and eight Massachusetts locations set to close by Nov. 2.

The Shrewsbury Stop & Shop at 539-571 Boston Turnpike will also close.

Other Worcester Stop & Shop locations at 949 Grafton St and 940 West Boylston St. will remain open.

At the time of the announcement, shoppers were dismayed that they were losing a full-service grocery store that was close enough where they did not need a car to make grocery trips.

The Lincoln Plaza area also has an Aldi and a Target location that carries groceries, but the customers said neither offers a full array of grocery-store products.

The Lincoln Plaza area is a working-class portion of the Worcester where residents and the city have made efforts to change the perception of safety and encourage vitality in the neighborhood. The area has lost a few businesses in recent years, including Dick’s Sporting Goods and a Denny’s.

The Stop & Shop is also a roughly five-minute drive from the working-class Great Brook Valley neighborhood.

Alex Corrales, CEO of the Worcester Housing Authority, also shared his concerns about a loss of a grocery option for the residents of the housing authority’s Great Brook Valley Gardens complex.

During the July 16 City Council Meeting, District 1 City Councilor Jenny Pacillo — who represents the northern portion of Lincoln Street — requested the city administration meet with representatives from Stop & Shop in an effort to prevent the closure. In addition, she asked City Manager Eric D. Batista to provide a report about any conversations and progress on the store’s status.

Pacillo said during the July 16 meeting that If Stop & Shop does leave as planned, she hopes to work with the city to find a suitable tenant, particularly another grocery store.

Stop & Shop had already reached out to the city to schedule a meeting ahead of the July 16 meeting.

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