Stop & Shop will close its supermarket in Toms River early next year, marking the end of a long-running grocery presence along the busy Route 9 corridor.
The company confirmed this week that it will not renew the lease for the store at 2360 Lakewood Road, citing financial underperformance. The location will remain open through late spring 2026 before shutting down permanently.
“After careful evaluation, we’ve determined that this location is not sustainable for our business model,” a Stop & Shop spokesperson said in a statement. The company says it will continue serving Toms River residents through its other area store on Route 37.
The closure will affect roughly 100 employees, but Stop & Shop has pledged that workers will not lose their jobs. According to the company, all full- and part-time associates will be offered transfers to other locations, including nearby Toms River, Brick, Manchester, and other stores throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The decision follows a string of shutdowns across New Jersey as the chain works to concentrate resources on more profitable sites. In 2024, Stop & Shop closed 10 underperforming stores statewide, including locations in Howell, Point Pleasant Beach, and Jackson. Analysts say the chain has been squeezed by high operating costs and fierce competition from regional giants like ShopRite, Walmart, and Aldi.
Once the Lakewood Road store closes, Stop & Shop will continue operating 10 locations in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The Toms River store drew attention earlier this year after county inspectors cited Stop & Shop for widespread mislabeling of meat and poultry products at all five of the chain’s Ocean County locations. Investigators found that “packaging” dates were being replaced with “display” dates, creating the appearance of fresher products than what was actually delivered.
Stop & Shop agreed to pay $75,000 in fines and implement stricter labeling and food-handling safeguards throughout its 46 New Jersey stores.
Shoppers who frequent the Lakewood Road location will receive information in the coming months about transferring prescriptions, loyalty accounts, and online orders. For now, the store continues to operate as normal—just with the end now in sight.
This explanation is totally BS. Get real stop n shop. Be honest about why your closing your doors. I understand the cost of renewing your lease..
However I’m now forced into driving miles to get to another stop in shop across town.
I will now have to shop at Shoprite.
A disappointed loyal customer
The reply I heard from Stop & Shop, is that the Mall at this locations was recently sold to a new buyer. The rent for Stop and Shop is raised to $200k per month. Gourmet Glatt will be occupying the center suite where Stop and Shop is located. The massive problem is, within two miles either way, there is a Bingo and Seasons. Because, all three stores are on top of each other and not enough foot traffic for profitability. Stop & Shop has its problems built into variable costs, since they are owned by a Private Equity Fund and with energy and food inflation killing everything. The Green economy hurt middle class America!
Those that were responsible for the “mislabling” of products should have been fired as well as those that knew of this practice and lose what ever pension and benefits they have. Stan n Shop just doesn’t care about its customers? Just asking.