ShopRite (Later Pathmark) Grand Opening, Bridgeport, CT
The longtime Pathmark of Bridgeport, CT was originally opened as a ShopRite as announced in this Grand Opening ad in March, 1967. A few years later, Supermarkets General would leave the Wakefern/ShopRite cooperative, creating the Pathmark brand name and converting its 65 ShopRite supermarkets to the new brand.
The Bridgeport store, along with Middlesex, NJ and the Elmora store in Elizabeth, was one of those 65 original ShopRite Supermarkets which broke away from Wakefern to form Pathmark.
At one time, Supermarkets General operated 9 Pathmark Super Center stores in Connecticut. In 1993, Pathmark converted most of its Connecticut supermarkets to its Pathmark Super Drug format, which removed fresh foods and reduced dry grocery, while heavily expanding its health, beauty, photo and non-foods departments. It also removed the drop-ceilings in a section of the store, adding warehouse shelving stocked with wholesale-club multipacks, as was the rage in the mid-90's. The format was meant to mimick the new hybrid drug stores like Pharmor, Xpect Discounts and Drug Emporium, which were expanding in the Northeast. The Bridgeport store was never converted to a Super Drug, and closed in 1996. National Wholesale Liquidators operated here until their bankruptcy in 2009, at which time PriceRite snapped up the location as their second Bridgeport store, returning the store to the Wakefern family after 41 years.
ShopRite (Later Pathmark) Grand Opening, Bridgeport, CT
The longtime Pathmark of Bridgeport, CT was originally opened as a ShopRite as announced in this Grand Opening ad in March, 1967. A few years later, Supermarkets General would leave the Wakefern/ShopRite cooperative, creating the Pathmark brand name and converting its 65 ShopRite supermarkets to the new brand.
The Bridgeport store, along with Middlesex, NJ and the Elmora store in Elizabeth, was one of those 65 original ShopRite Supermarkets which broke away from Wakefern to form Pathmark.
At one time, Supermarkets General operated 9 Pathmark Super Center stores in Connecticut. In 1993, Pathmark converted most of its Connecticut supermarkets to its Pathmark Super Drug format, which removed fresh foods and reduced dry grocery, while heavily expanding its health, beauty, photo and non-foods departments. It also removed the drop-ceilings in a section of the store, adding warehouse shelving stocked with wholesale-club multipacks, as was the rage in the mid-90's. The format was meant to mimick the new hybrid drug stores like Pharmor, Xpect Discounts and Drug Emporium, which were expanding in the Northeast. The Bridgeport store was never converted to a Super Drug, and closed in 1996. National Wholesale Liquidators operated here until their bankruptcy in 2009, at which time PriceRite snapped up the location as their second Bridgeport store, returning the store to the Wakefern family after 41 years.