107-497: George Huntington Hartford II (April 18, 1911 – May 19, 2008) was an American businessman, philanthropist, stage and film producer, and art collector. He was also heir to the A&;P supermarket fortune. After his father's death in 1922, Hartford became one of the heirs to the estate left by his grandfather and namesake, George Huntington Hartford . After graduating from Harvard University in 1934, he only briefly worked for A&P. For
214-538: A deed agreement that prohibited any structures on the plot from rising above 40 feet (12 m), the height of Dunscombe's retaining wall just east of Beekman Place. This restriction was meant to preserve views from the new buildings on Beekman Place. With the surge of immigration from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century, the Lower East Side 's slums expanded north. The Beekman Place area's well-off residents gave way to impoverished workers employed in
321-461: A lobbyist and dropped its opposition to unionizing activities of the politically powerful American Federation of Labor . George and John Hartford also took the unusual step of publishing an open letter pointing out that the legislation would increase food prices. The tide of public opinion then turned against the bill, which was defeated. In 1930, the first supermarket opened in California . On
428-416: A monopoly . A&P said their grocery-store share was only about 15%, much less than the leaders in other industries. Judge Lindley agreed with the government, fining each defendant $ 10,000. In 1949, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld Lindley's decision; A&P decided not to appeal further. In September, the anti-trust division asked the court to order the spinoff of A&P's manufacturing operations and
535-504: A "mountebank". Beyond expressionism, he derided the " beatnik , the Existentialist , the juvenile delinquent, the zaniest of abstract art, the weirdest aberrations of the mentally unbalanced, the do-nothing philosophy of Zen Buddhism " as a result of wanton "abuse of liberty and freedom." He had strong opinions against the work of Tennessee Williams , T. S. Eliot , and Willem de Kooning , as well as art dealer Sidney Janis . To support
642-659: A 160-acre (0.65 km) Hollywood estate known as "The Pines" (also known as Runyon Canyon Park ), a townhouse in London, a home in Juan-les-Pins in France, and a house on Paradise Island in the Bahamas . Hartford owned Huntington Hartford Productions which produced several films including the Abbott and Costello film, Africa Screams , in 1949. In 1950, Hartford produced Hello Out There ,
749-558: A 1937 A&P study of the feasibility of opening a plant to manufacture corn flakes. The mere possibility of A&P producing corn flakes forced existing corn flake manufacturers to lower their prices by 10%. A&P's decline began in the early 1950s, when they failed to keep pace with competitors that opened larger supermarkets with more modern features demanded by customers. By the 1970s, A&P stores were outdated, and efforts to combat high operating costs resulted in poor customer service. When these efforts failed to turn A&P around,
856-526: A clerk in Glens Falls, New York , he was a staffer who lacked John Hartford's strategic marketing skills. Under Burger, A&P continued to report record sales and operated with expenses of 12.6% of sales when the industry average was 15%. Burger was also president of the John A. Hartford Foundation started by sons John and George in 1929, assuring Burger's control of A&P when George died in 1957. George's trust
963-402: A clerk perhaps in the late 1850s; Hartford later was promoted to bookkeeper, then cashier, in 1866. By 1871 Hartford was in a position of authority and was responsible for expanding A&P to Chicago after its great fire . A&P's first store outside New York City was opened just days after the disaster. The firm rapidly expanded; in 1875 A&P had stores in 16 cities. In 1878, Gilman left
1070-564: A cofounder of the Turtle Bay Association who had been murdered. Developer William Zeckendorf , who lived in 30 Beekman Place, gave up his land immediately south of the enclave in the mid-20th century to make way for the headquarters of the United Nations . One Beekman Place , the 1929 co-op designed by Sloan & Robertson and Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray , is "the most prestigious Beekman Place apartment building"; It
1177-424: A defined contribution 401(k) . William Walsh, then a recently retired executive, filed a class action that was ultimately settled by increasing the value of the annuities. A&P still realized over $ 200 million and was not required to pay taxes because of tax losses carried forward from previous closing programs. The Philadelphia division also was to close, unless the unions agreed to contract concessions. When
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#17328770419621284-550: A dentist from Covington, Virginia. They divorced in 1939. In 1938, Huntington had a son, Edward "Buzzy" Barton, with dancer Mary Barton. Hartford supported the boy financially but refused to legally acknowledge him as his son. In 1967, Edward Barton died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Huntington's second wife was Marjorie Steele , an aspiring actress whom Hartford married in 1949. The couple had two children, Catherine (born 1950) and John Hartford (born 1953 or 1954). The couple divorced in 1960. Catherine Hartford died of
1391-500: A drug overdose in June 1988. John Hartford later became a musician and music teacher. He died of throat cancer on April 15, 2011. In 1962, Hartford married Diane Brown at Melody Farm in Mahwah, New Jersey . They had a daughter, Cynara Juliet, before divorcing in 1970. Five years later, he married Elaine Kay. They divorced in 1981. In February 2004, he and his daughter moved to Lyford Cay in
1498-489: A large training program. Weekly per-store sales increased from $ 37,000 in 1974 to over $ 70,000 in 1976, with total sales increasing from $ 6.4 billion to $ 7.2 billion despite the closures. Manufacturing was also reorganized. While initial results were promising, by 1978, A&P profits started to slide due to economic conditions caused by high inflation. With the share price down to $ 7, the John A. Hartford Foundation finally came to
1605-670: A major grocery competitor. In 2003, after declaring its largest loss, A&P closed Kohl's Food Stores and A&P's remaining stores in Vermont and New Hampshire , reducing it to just over 500 stores. Also in 2003, A&P spun off the Eight O'Clock Coffee division (its last manufacturing operation) to Gryphon Investors for $ 107 million. (In 2006, Gryphon sold Eight O'Clock Coffee to Tata Global Beverages for $ 220 million). In 2005, A&P sold its 237-store Canadian division (consisting of A&P, Dominion, Ultra Food and Drug stores , as well as
1712-433: A manager, and without fancy fixtures. Within two months, weekly sales increased to $ 800 and the store achieved a 30% annual return on investment. A&P quickly expanded the concept; by 1915 the chain operated 1,600 stores. A&P's tremendous growth created problems with suppliers. Cream of Wheat , the largest breakfast food manufacturer, demanded that all retailers adhere to the cereal's pricing per box. A&P purchased
1819-790: A mansion in Newport, Rhode Island , known as "Seaverge" next to Rough Point , the mansion owned by tobacco heiress Doris Duke . The family also lived on a 1,000-acre (4.0 km) plantation in South Carolina called "Wando" as well as an apartment on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan . After his father died in 1922, Hartford's mother sent him to St. Paul's School . He later majored in English literature at Harvard University . After his graduation from Harvard in 1934, he went to work at A&P headquarters in New York in
1926-508: A master at promotion; the business quickly expanded by advertising low prices. The firm was able to offer low prices by acting as both the wholesaler and retailer. Gilman also built a nationwide mail order business. By 1866, the firm was valued at more than $ 1 million (~$ 16.3 million in 2023). In 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed; Gilman created a parallel company, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company , to promote
2033-564: A modeling agency and an artists' colony, and opened a theater. In the 1950s, Hartford purchased a penthouse duplex on the 13th and 14th floors of One Beekman Place in the 1950s after moving from an apartment at the River House in New York City. He owned a home called "Pompano" on 240 El Vedado Drive in Palm Beach , a 150-acre (0.61 km) estate in Mahwah, New Jersey , called "Melody Farm",
2140-411: A more respectable business in light of his wealth. In May 1861, Gilman turned over the tanning business to his brother Winthrop; George moved his tea business to 129 Front Street. Initially, Gilman & Company was a wholesaler. In early 1863 the firm became a retailer, Great American Tea Company . Quickly, it opened five stores, moving its office and warehouse to 51 Vesey Street . Gilman proved to be
2247-795: A newspaper, PM , with Marshall Field III and worked as a reporter for the publication. An avid sailor, he donated his yacht to the Coast Guard at the start of World War II . During the war he was commissioned in the Coast Guard and commanded the Army supply ship FS-179 , commissioned in May 1944, in the Pacific Theater. Hartford twice accidentally ran the ship aground. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles and attempted to purchase Republic Pictures and RKO Studios from Howard Hughes . Huntington also started
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#17328770419622354-605: A one-story garage facing east toward the FDR Drive and East River. 17 Beekman Place , named The Luxembourg House is a five-story building designed by architect Harold Sterner for the former Secretary of Defense James Forrestal and was then later owned by the American composer Irving Berlin and his wife Ellin Mackay , an heiress. Irving Berlin died here in 1989. In 1990, it was purchased by The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , which did
2461-589: A plan by Booz Allen Hamilton to close 36% of its 3,468 stores. Kane agreed to resign and was replaced by Jonathan Scott, the 44-year-old president of Albertsons . Under Scott, A&P closed 1,500 stores in three years, reducing to 1,978 units. Scott hired numerous executives from outside and pushed authority down to the regional level. During his first three years, A&P built 300 supermarkets ranging from 23,000 square feet (2,100 m ) to 32,000 square feet (3,000 m ), along with its first combination grocery-drug stores with 40,000 square feet (3,700 m ) under
2568-464: A political issue in the 1912 presidential election after a 35% increase in 10 years. To counter this trend, some chains experimented with a no-frills format. After long debate, the Hartfords agreed to John's proposal of experimenting with an economy store designed to operate at a 12% gross margin. Capitalized at only $ 3,000 including its initial inventory, the prototype economy store operated with only
2675-422: A private entity in early 2012. At this time, Christian Haub left A&P, and Tengelmann wrote off its books the remaining equity. A&P briefly returned to modest profitability by cutting costs in its remaining stores, although customer spending further decreased. In 2013, again a company, A&P was put up for sale but could not find a suitable buyer. In January 2014, Sam Martin resigned. In March, Paul Hertz
2782-694: A profit of 1.3% (compared to an industry average of 1.04%) on sales of $ 11 billion. In the early 1990s, A&P started to struggle again because of the economy and new competition, especially Walmart. In 1992, A&P's sales dropped to $ 1.1 billion; it posted a loss of $ 189 million. A&P responded by strengthening its private label program and overhauling its remaining U.S. units. Most stores smaller than 40,000 square feet (4,000 m ) were expanded, closed, or replaced with units from 50,000 square feet (5,000 m ) to 80,000 square feet (7,000 m ). The new stores included pharmacies, larger bakeries, and more general merchandise. A&P continued to suffer in
2889-693: A renovation that lasted three years. In 2010, a book on the home was published and titled The Luxembourg House on Beekman Place: Three Portraits in Time . It is currently home to the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg to the United Nations and the Consulate General of Luxembourg in New York. 23 Beekman Place , a nine-story apartment building, includes a four-story penthouse designed by Modernist architect Paul Rudolph . The structure, constructed in
2996-425: A strategy to substantially cut prices by converting A&P to a warehouse store concept that became known as W.E.O. Warehouse Economy Outlet (or Where Economy Originates). The problem was that most A&Ps were not large enough to properly implement the program; losses quickly mounted. In early 1973, the stock dropped to $ 17, and Charles Bluhdorn of Gulf+Western made a tender offer at $ 20 per share. Kane rejected
3103-524: A television interview as being worth half a billion dollars. In 1959, Hartford bought Hog Island in the Bahamas, renaming it Paradise Island . He developed it over the next three years hoping to turn it into another Monte Carlo . One feature of his Ocean Club was a cloister built from the disassembled stones of a monastery that William Randolph Hearst had stored in a Florida warehouse. In an interview with David Frost on British television, Hartford stated that
3210-602: A theater which he renamed the Huntington Hartford Theater , which opened in 1954. For ten years the Hartford Theater was Los Angeles's premier venue for Broadway-scale productions featuring the stars of the time. Hartford's taste for Los Angeles began to wane, however, after the Los Angeles County Museum of Art rejected an exhibition he proposed. He decided to build his own museum in New York City,
3317-499: A vast assortment of food products at much lower costs. Until 1982, A&P also was a large food manufacturer. A&P was founded in 1859 as "Gilman & Company" by George Gilman , who opened a small chain of retail tea and coffee stores in New York City , and then expanded to a national mail order business. The firm grew to 70 stores by 1878; by 1900, it operated almost 200 stores. A&P grew dramatically by introducing
Huntington Hartford - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-602: A world record for a Rembrandt. To house his extensive collection of 19th- and 20th-century art, Hartford built the Gallery of Modern Art Including the Huntington Hartford Collection at 2 Columbus Circle in Manhattan which opened in 1964. Pointedly, it did not include Abstract Expressionism which Hartford panned in his book, Art or Anarchy . Hartford was a patron of the architect Edward Durell Stone who designed
3531-445: The A&P brand, dramatically increasing the product line. To make space for the new items, A&P replaced in-store premiums with Plaid Stamps, which sought to mimic S&H Green Stamps , a popular rewards program. By 1912, the corporation operated 400 stores and averaged a 22% gross margin, resulting in a 2% profit. A&P's peddlers were also operating 5,000 rural routes in distinctive red-and-black wagons. Food prices were
3638-695: The Great Depression . The Hartfords built their chain without borrowing; their low-price format resulted in even higher sales. From 1929 through 1932, A&P reported a record $ 110 million in after-tax profits with each Hartford child earning over $ 5 million yearly in dividends and equity. A&P's success caused a backlash that threatened to destroy it. Thousands of mom-and-pop grocery stores could not match A&P's prices. While small operators had little political clout, they were supplied by thousands of wholesale distributors which had considerable political influence. Anti-chain store movements gained traction in
3745-682: The Kohl's department store chain) from BATUS , enabling A&P to reenter Wisconsin and Illinois . In 1984, A&P purchased Pantry Pride 's Richmond, Virginia , division. The next year, A&P reinforced its profitable Canadian division by closing stores in Quebec , and acquiring Ontario's Dominion Stores . In the U.S., A&P started construction of larger 40,000-square-foot (4,000 m ) supermarkets known as A&P Future Stores . In 1986, A&P purchased Waldbaum's (with stores in southern New York and southern New England) and The Food Emporium ,
3852-672: The South and abandoned most of the region by pulling out of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia. Most of these stores were sold to Kroger . As a result, A&P was reduced to four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest (Michigan and Wisconsin), New Orleans, and Ontario. To reinforce the New Orleans division, A&P purchased six Schwegmann supermarkets; however, A&P
3959-592: The University of Denver to find alternate methods of oil extraction. During this period, he also wrote and produced The Master of Thornfield , a stage adaptation of Jane Eyre that ran for two weeks in Cincinnati starring Errol Flynn as Mr. Rochester . This partnership led to Flynn staying in Hartford's pool-house briefly in 1957–58 and is the origin of a legend that "The Pines" was Flynn's estate. Later, Hartford produced
4066-545: The government of New York City obtained riparian water rights for the shoreline between 52nd Street and 53rd Street . To compensate for Beekman Place's loss of access to the shoreline, the city government built a footbridge across the FDR Drive at 51st Street. The strip of land east of Beekman Place, along the FDR Drive, was opened as a park from 1942 to 1951. That park was renamed the Peter Detmold Park in 1972, after
4173-640: The 1920s, but became stronger during the Depression. In 1935, Texas Congressman Wright Patman introduced legislation that would have levied a federal tax on chain stores. If adopted, this legislation likely would have ended A&P. While this legislation did not move in Congress, in 1936 Patman sponsored the Robinson–Patman Act that outlawed charging different prices to similar customers; this law passed. Patman then reintroduced his first bill. A&P retained
4280-525: The 1964 Gallery of Modern Art on Columbus Circle, declaring that building a museum in Los Angeles was like putting up "a theater in Oklahoma" due to a lack of audience. With the financial commitment to a new museum in New York and tiring of his art colony, he asked local government officials and wealthy patrons to contribute to the colony's support. Lacking what he felt would be sufficient commitment, he shut down
4387-501: The 1980s, in 2002 it operated at a record loss because of new competition, especially from Walmart. A&P closed more stores, which included the sale of its large Canadian division. A&P also spun off Eight O'Clock Coffee , the last of its manufacturing units. In 1982, Stop & Shop exited New Jersey, not returning for almost 20 years. A&P purchased most of these stores to replace obsolete ones. In 1983, A&P bought Wisconsin-based Kohl's Food Stores (which had been part of
Huntington Hartford - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-554: The A&;P Family Mart name. The first Family Mart opened in Greenville, South Carolina , as The Family Mart in 1977. The Family Mart chain consisted of mostly 40,000–55,000 square feet (3,700–5,100 m ) stores, and were among the first A&P stores to possess a combination of a full-service supermarket and pharmacy. Scott continued Kane's efforts to improve basic store operations (including cleanliness and customer service) instituting
4601-564: The Bahamas. Hartford died at his home in Lyford Cay on May 19, 2008, at the age of 97. The cause of his death was not publicly released. His remains are interred at Lakeview Memorial Gardens & Mausoleums in Nassau . The Great Atlantic %26 Pacific Tea Company The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company , better known as A&P , was an American chain of grocery stores that operated from 1859 to 2015. From 1915 through 1975, A&P
4708-556: The Canadian Food Basics units) to Montreal-based Metro Inc. for Can$ 1.7 billion in cash plus shares of Metro. By 2009, the A&P name disappeared from these stores. In 2007, A&P closed its New Orleans division, limiting A&P's footprint to the Northeast . Also in 2007, A&P acquired Pathmark , a long-time Northeastern rival, for $ 1.4 billion (~$ 1.98 billion in 2023). With this purchase, A&P again became
4815-456: The Chicago division. Under the plan, A&P also closed its large manufacturing group except the four coffee warehouses. To finance this program, A&P planned to terminate its non-union pension plan, using its $ 200 million surplus. The plan's obligations were covered by annuities that cost only about $ 130 million because of the then high interest rates. A&P's non-union employees were covered by
4922-562: The East Coast, Michael J. Cullen , a then-former A&P employee, opened his first King Kullen supermarket in Jamaica, Queens . Two years later, Big Bear opened in Elizabeth, New Jersey , and quickly equaled the sales of 100 A&Ps. In 1933, A&P's sales dropped 19%, to $ 820 million, because of the competition. After considerable debate, the Hartford brothers decided to open 100 supermarkets,
5029-469: The Hartfords and their competitors enabled the public to enjoy healthier eating at lower cost. In 1950, the average American consumed 10 percent more food than in 1930, with poorer households enjoying an especially important improvement in the quality of the food they consumed. John Kenneth Galbraith supported this contention in his 1952 book, American Capitalism , by citing A&P as an example of countervailing power . To support his thesis, he discussed
5136-405: The U.S. to take advantage of A&P's manufacturing plants and numerous small stores. However, the concept failed to win American customers who were attracted to other chains offering low prices on national brands. James Wood realized that another massive store-closing program was necessary to turn around A&P. In October 1981, it announced that it would downsize to under 1,000 stores and close
5243-615: The active management of the firm to Hartford. By then, the firm operated 70 lavishly-equipped stores and a mail order business with combined annual sales of $ 1 million. To raise revenue, Congress raised tariffs on tea and coffee. Profits on these products declined; around 1880 A&P started to sell sugar in its stores. The company continued aggressive growth and by 1884 operated stores as far west as Kansas City and as far south as Atlanta . The company also operated wagon routes to serve rural customers. About this time, two of Hartford's sons, George (1864–1957) and John (1872–1951), joined
5350-928: The art that he enjoyed, Hartford built an artists' colony in Rustic Canyon , above the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Buying more than 150 acres in 1948, he hired Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright ) to adapt existing structures and design new ones. When it opened in 1951, it had more than a dozen cottages and a central dining room for distinguished artists, composers and craftspeople who won scholarships for one to six-month retreats. For nearly 15 years, more than 400 colony artists generated international success with exhibitions, concerts, theater performances and Pulitzer Prizes ; included among them were composers Ernst Toch , Norma Wendelburg , and Ruth Shaw Wylie , writer and activist Max Eastman , and painter Edward Hopper . Hartford also renovated and opened
5457-503: The attention of President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's anti-trust chief, Thurman Arnold , who was urged by Representative Wright Patman to investigate A&P. In 1942, A&P and their senior executives—including the Hartford brothers—were criminally charged for restraint of trade in Dallas federal court . In 1944, prosecutors withdrew the complaint on grounds that the Dallas federal judge thought
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#17328770419625564-453: The automotive shock absorber . Along with his brothers, Edward was also an heir to the A&P fortune and served as A&P's corporate secretary as well as one of three trustees that controlled A&P's stock. After Hartford's birth, the family moved to Deal, New Jersey , a wealthy community on the Atlantic shore. After Huntington's father died when he was 11, his mother moved the family to
5671-673: The breakup of A&P's retail operations into seven independent companies. Thousands of letters poured into the Justice Department supporting A&P; the Hartford brothers gave extensive interviews with Time magazine and appeared on the November 13, 1950, cover. Time wrote that, next to General Motors , A&P sold more goods than any other retailer in the world. John was quoted as saying, "I don't know any grocer who wants to stay small ... I don't see how any businessman can limit his growth and stay healthy." The case dragged on into
5778-445: The business-friendly Eisenhower administration . In late 1953, the government agreed to drop its demands to break up A&P if they shut down their produce brokerage that also supplied competitors. In fighting the anti-trust suits, A&P also emphasized the considerable impact of their activities on the public welfare, which had been recognized as the legacy of George Hartford Sr. and his sons. The concepts pioneered and perfected by
5885-658: The case was weak. The same day the Dallas case was withdrawn, charges were filed in Danville, Illinois against the same defendants, and were assigned to Federal Judge Walter Lindley . The prosecution complained that A&P had an unfair competitive advantage because their vertical integration including manufacturing; warehousing, and retailing allowed them to charge lower prices. Prosecutors also complained that A&P refused to buy from food retailers who sold only through brokers or refused to give A&P advertising allowances. The judges contended that if unchecked, A&P would become
5992-492: The chain veered from its low-cost discipline. In early 1926, the brothers discussed the situation with division management and launched a program to lower prices and improve cost controls. That year, sales increased 32%; A&P moved its headquarters to the new Graybar Building adjacent to Grand Central Terminal . In 1927, A&P established a Canadian division ; by 1929 it operated 200 stores in Ontario and Quebec . In 1930,
6099-567: The coalyards that lined much of the East River . In 1914, the Beekman estate appeared before the New York Supreme Court to remove the deed restriction on the waterfront lot, but after six years of litigation, they were unsuccessful. Consequently, in 1922, that lot was leased to a group that planned to erect a studio apartment and a 460-foot-long (140 m) parking garage on the site. Only
6206-494: The colony in 1965 (he had sold the Huntington Hartford Theater in 1964). Hartford owned an extensive art collection. In an interview by Edward R. Murrow on his show Person to Person he gave a tour of the collection at his Beekman Place apartment including Rembrandt 's "Portrait of a man, half-length, with his arms akimbo", which sold at Christie's auction house in London on December 8, 2009, for $ 33 million,
6313-469: The company passed into a trust with his sons George, Edward, and John as trustees in complete control. After World War I , A&P rapidly expanded; in 1925 it operated 13,961 stores. The newer combination stores included space for meats, produce, and dairy, as well as traditional grocery items. Sales reached $ 400 million and profit was $ 10 million. However, the Hartford brothers were concerned that gross margins had reached 22% to cover higher costs and that
6420-471: The company's leases were in his name. The heirs realized that without Hartford, the firm would quickly become unprofitable. Therefore, in 1902 they agreed to a settlement where A&P was to be incorporated, with $ 2.1 million (~$ 59.9 million in 2023) in assets. Under this agreement, the Gilman heirs received $ 1.25 million in preferred shares at 6% interest, while Hartford received $ 700,000 in common stock and
6527-885: The conclusion that it could no longer wait for a turnaround. Erivan Haub , owner of the German Tengelmann Group , expressed interest. Born in 1930, Haub studied retailing in the U.S. after World War II and built his family's grocery business into a 2,000-store chain with annual sales of the equivalent of $ 2 billion. Although still having a home in Germany, his children were born in the United States. Haub agreed to pay $ 7.375 per share for 42% of A&P's stock. Haub also quietly bought other shares until he owned 50.3% in February 1981. Scott did not renew his five-year contract; Haub hired James Wood to become chairman. Wood, an Englishman who
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#17328770419626634-416: The corporation's 16,000 stores reached $ 2.9 billion (~$ 42.1 billion in 2023) in sales, resulting in a 25% grocery-store share in its operating areas, and about 10% nationwide. No retail company had ever achieved these results. A&P was twice as large as the next largest retailer, Sears , and four times that of grocer Kroger . Unlike most of its competitors, A&P was in excellent position to weather
6741-496: The eastern end of 51st Street and Mitchell Place, where it ends at a retaining wall above 49th Street, overlooking the glass apartment towers at 860 and 870 United Nations Plaza, just north of the headquarters of the United Nations . "Beekman Place" also refers to the small residential enclave that surrounds the street itself. It is named after the Beekman family , who were influential in New York City's development. The neighborhood
6848-485: The economy store concept in 1912, growing to 1,600 stores by 1915. After World War I , it added stores that offered meat and produce, while expanding manufacturing. In 1930, A&P, by then the world's largest retailer, reached $ 2.9 billion in sales ($ 52.9 billion today) with 15,000 stores. In 1936, it adopted the self-serve supermarket concept and opened 4,000 larger stores (while phasing out many of its smaller units) by 1950. After two bankruptcies, A&P finally closed
6955-494: The filing, A&P remained in operation (with its stock symbol changed to GAPTQ ) while it developed a reorganization plan. In November 2011, the corporation announced that it had entered into an agreement to receive $ 490 million (~$ 655 million in 2023) of debt and equity financing from Yucaipa, Mount Kellett Capital Management, and investment funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The agreement enabled A&P to complete its restructuring and emerge from Chapter 11 as
7062-588: The firm. A&P lore holds that George convinced his father to expand the product line to include A&P-branded baking powder . Over the next decade, the company added other A&P-branded products, such as condensed milk , spices, and butter. As it expanded its offerings, the tea company was gradually creating the first grocery chain. By 1900, the firm had sales of $ 5 million (~$ 151 million in 2023) from 198 stores as well as its mail order and wagon route operations. However, other grocery chains were expanding more rapidly and blanketing their respective areas while
7169-471: The first of which was in Braddock, Pennsylvania . The new stores proved to be very successful; in 1938, the company operated 1,100 supermarkets. The chain continued to build supermarkets and slowly phase out smaller stores except in dense urban areas; in 1950, A&P operated 4,000 supermarkets and 500 smaller stores. Sales reached $ 3.2 billion with an after-tax profit of $ 32 million. A&P's success attracted
7276-507: The flag he created for Paradise Island was in the shape of a "P" and that he wanted to put it on the moon as a symbol of peace for the world. Hartford was responsible for getting the gambling license for Paradise Island by hiring Sir Stafford Sands , a Bahamian lawyer. In 1969, Hartford produced the Broadway show Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? , which opened at the Belasco Theater starring
7383-515: The garage was ultimately built; it was rebuilt in 2000 after having deteriorated. The neighborhood's rehabilitation began in the 1920s, facilitated primarily by Anne Morgan of the Morgan banking family. With the construction of the FDR Drive on the East River in the 1940s, the commercial uses of the waterfront were eliminated, and Beekman Place was isolated from the shoreline proper. Additionally,
7490-452: The heirs of the Hartford family and the Hartford Foundation, which owned a majority of the stock, sold to the Tengelmann Group of Germany. In 1951, John Hartford died in the Chrysler Building after returning from a meeting of the automaker's board of directors. George remained as A&P's chairman and treasurer, appointing the corporation's longtime secretary Ralph Burger as its new president. While Burger started with A&P in 1910 as
7597-406: The home was the subject of legal proceedings. Although initially listed for $ 49 million, a real estate company finally sold the home in 2020, after several years on the market, for $ 11.5 million. 31 Beekman Place was formerly owned by the Welsh singer Tom Jones ; it was later purchased for the Pahlavis' attaché in New York. In 1981, after the Iranian Revolution , ownership was transferred to
7704-602: The initial sales gains evaporated and the six outside directors threatened to resign unless Burger retired. When Burger left in May 1963, the stock was trading in the $ 30s (~$ 299.00 in 2023). Burger was replaced with a succession of presidents who were unable to stem the downward spiral. In 1971, the board turned to William J. Kane, who joined A&P in 1934 as a full-time store clerk. Kane believed that A&P could be turned around by focusing on basic store operations, including cleanliness, product availability, customer service, and courtesy. When his program stalled, Kane implemented
7811-602: The largest grocery retailer in the New York City area, and the second-largest in the Philadelphia area. However, the Federal Trade Commission declared that as a result of the acquisition, A&P would be a monopoly in parts of Long Island and Staten Island . As part of its settlement with the FTC, the corporation was forced to divest of some Waldbaum's and Pathmarks. When A&P marked its 150th anniversary in 2009, it
7918-449: The largest supermarket operator in the New York City area. At the same time, Tengelmann reduced its shares to 38.5%, while the private equity firm Yucaipa , as major shareholder of Pathmark, acquired 27.5% of A&P's shares. In 2012, A&P emerged from bankruptcy by becoming a private company, as Tengelmann ended its holding, and briefly returned to modest profitability in 2013 and 2014. This allowed A&P to regain its position as
8025-539: The last film of James Whale , the acclaimed director of the 1931 version of Frankenstein . He produced several films starring Marjorie Steele and encouraged her to become an artist. In 1955, Hartford founded the Oil Shale Corporation, later known as Tosco, and was its majority shareholder and chairman. Tosco was later acquired by ConocoPhillips . He also set up the Denver Research Institute at
8132-451: The last of its doors in 2015. The forerunner of A&P was founded in the 1850s as Gilman & Company by George Gilman (1826–1901) to continue his father's leather tanning business; in 1858 the firm's address was 98 Gold Street in Manhattan . Gilman's father died in 1859, leaving the son wealthy. That year, Gilman & Company entered the tea and coffee business from that storefront. One source speculates that Gilman decided to enter
8239-459: The late 1860s, was originally a townhouse. Shortly after moving into an apartment there in the early 1960s, Rudolph constantly made modifications to the house until his death in 1997. The penthouse was variously considered to have 15, 17, 27, or 30 distinct levels. 23 Beekman Place became a New York City designated landmark in 2010. 29 Beekman Place , a seven-story, limestone-and-brick mansion house of 12,260 square feet (1,139 m ),
8346-573: The latter an upscale New York City-based chain. In 1989, A&P acquired Michigan-based Farmer Jack ; also, A&P attempted to expand into Europe by bidding unsuccessfully for the Gateway Corporation (then the United Kingdom's third-largest grocery chain), although they did open stores in the Netherlands, which they operated until the early 2000s. At the end of the decade, A&P reported
8453-476: The mansion for a time during the American Revolutionary War , and Nathan Hale was tried as a spy in the mansion's greenhouse and hanged in a nearby orchard . George Washington visited the house many times during his presidency. The Beekman family lived at Mount Pleasant until a cholera epidemic forced them to move in 1854, but the home survived until 1874, when it was torn down. Beekman Place
8560-519: The modernist marble-clad structure often derided as the "lollipop building". Stone had previously designed the Museum of Modern Art for the Rockefeller family . Hartford commissioned Salvador Dalí to paint The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus for the museum's opening. The museum also included Hartford's paintings by Monet , Manet , Degas , and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec . Hartford closed
8667-521: The museum after five years. Later the building housed the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and was recently rebuilt with a new facade to house the Museum of Arts and Design . Hartford was married four times, all ending in divorce, and had five children. His mother intended Huntington to marry Doris Duke , but in April 1931, Huntington married Mary Lee Epling, the 18-year-old daughter of
8774-468: The offer, although some stockholders thought that the offer was attractive considering A&P's continuing difficulties. A&P exited California and Washington state in 1971 and 1974, respectively, making Missouri its westernmost reach. In 1974, the corporation also left its long-time headquarters in the Graybar Building, moving to Montvale, New Jersey . In February 1975, A&P considered
8881-426: The play on Broadway. In 1963, Hartford offered The Pines as a gift to the city but was turned down by Mayor Sam Yorty . As Lloyd Wright recalled in 1977, "Here was this very wealthy man, and he wanted to give something very stunning to Hollywood. The Chambers of Commerce, the hotel owners and the various businesses were jealous of the park and with the help of the city officials, the city refused to give us permits. Hunt
8988-518: The previous year, losing more business to better-managed competition. As customers were staying away, A&P considered its second bankruptcy filing in less than five years. Beekman Place (Manhattan) Beekman Place is a small street located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood on the East Side of Manhattan , New York City . Running from north to south for two blocks, the street is situated between
9095-435: The product at wholesale, 11 cents per box (3 cents less), and decided that a 1-cent markup was appropriate for its economy store format. Cream of Wheat cut off supplies and A&P sued. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Hough ruled against A&P, saying that a manufacturer can establish retail prices. As a result, A&P and other large chains expanded manufacturing of private brands. Hartford Sr. died in 1917; control of
9202-679: The remainder of the preferred shares. This gave Hartford control of the voting stock. Over several years, Hartford was able to repurchase the preferred shares from the Gilman heirs. A&P opened an average of one store every three weeks. A nine-story headquarters and warehouse was built in Jersey City ; it later expanded to include a manufacturing plant and bakery. By 1908, George Hartford Sr. divided management responsibilities among his sons, with George Jr. controlling finance with John directing sales and operations. The sons ran A&P for over 40 years. The younger Hartford moved aggressively to promote
9309-449: The rest of his life, Hartford focused on numerous other business and charitable enterprises. He owned Paradise Island in the Bahamas , and had numerous other business and real estate interests over his lifetime including the Oil Shale Corporation (TOSCO) , which he founded in 1955. Hartford was once known as one of the world's richest people. His final years were spent living in the Bahamas with his daughter, Juliet. Huntington Hartford
9416-406: The statistical department. He lived on a trust fund that generated about $ 1.5 million per year. On 10 November 1936, he purchased the sailing ship Joseph Conrad from Alan Villiers which he converted to a private yacht, and donated to the U.S. Maritime Commission as a sail training ship in 1939. In 1940, Hartford invested $ 100,000 (equivalent to approximately $ 2,174,822 in 2023) to help start
9523-473: The tea company's stores were spread over a much larger area. A&P quickly found itself at a disadvantage. In 1901, George Gilman died without a will , starting a legal battle among his numerous heirs. The senior Hartford stepped into the battle by asserting that, in 1878, Gilman gave him half of the company in an unwritten partnership agreement. Evidence provided to the court established that Hartford received half of A&P's profits starting in 1878 and that
9630-583: The then-new concept of prepackaged tea under the Thea-Nector name. The tea company, which some sources say was co-founded by George Huntington Hartford , continued to use the Great American name for mail-order purposes. In 1871, A&P introduced another concept when it offered premiums , such as lithographs, china, and glassware with the purchase of coffee and/or tea at its stores. These premiums are now collectibles. Hartford joined Gilman & Company as
9737-441: The then-unknown actor Al Pacino . Pacino won a Tony for his performance. Hartford was a patron of the arts, building an artists colony above Los Angeles and later a gallery in New York City, and his opinions on the arts were equally strong. He criticized Abstract Expressionists, believing they had ushered in a great "ice age of art," freezing out the grand traditions of music, painting and sculpture; he described Pablo Picasso as
9844-660: The unions refused, A&P started implementing the plan. The unions offered to purchase the stores, but realized that they did not have the capital required. As an alternative, the unions agreed to a profit-sharing arrangement if A&P formed a new subsidiary , and operated under a different name. The new banner, " Super Fresh ", proved profitable. A&P realized that its name was not the asset it had been. A&P started to acquire stores from other chains. Starting in 1982, A&P acquired several chains that continued to be operated under their own names, rather than being converted to A&P . While A&P regained profitability in
9951-497: The world. In the 1950s A&P was the world's largest grocer and, next to General Motors, it sold more goods than any other company in the world. Time magazine reported that A&P had sales of $ 2.7 billion in 1950. His maternal grandfather was from an Austrian Jewish family, and his maternal grandmother, who was Protestant, had deep roots in South Carolina. Hartford's father was a successful inventor and manufacturer who perfected
10058-409: Was born in New York City , the son of Henrietta Guerard (Pollitzer) and Edward V. Hartford (1870–1922). He was named George Huntington Hartford II for his grandfather, George Huntington Hartford . His father and uncles, John Augustine Hartford and George Ludlum Hartford , privately owned the A&P Supermarket, which at one point had 16,000 stores in the U.S. and was the largest retail empire in
10165-496: Was built by a group headed by David Milton, husband of Abby Rockefeller and son-in-law of John D. Rockefeller , Jr. Early tenants here included "Wild Bill" Donovan of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and John D. Rockefeller III . In the 1950s, 1 Beekman Place was the residence of Sir Francis Rundall , the British consul-general in New York . The base of 1 Beekman Place contains
10272-419: Was built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley for his first wife, Dorothy Paley. Paley then rented the house to the health advocates Albert and Mary Lasker , who lived there for 35 years, until it was acquired in 1975 by Princess Ashraf Pahlavi of Iran, the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , the last shah of Iran . Ashraf Pahlavi lived in the home for many years; after her death in 2016,
10379-605: Was dissolved; the stock began selling on the New York Stock Exchange (under the symbol GAP ) at $ 59 per share. For the first time, A&P elected six outside directors onto its board. In late 1961, A&P stock peaked at $ 70 (~$ 547.00 in 2023). The seeds for A&P's 35-year fall from the country's largest grocery to bankruptcy (and later liquidation) were planted in the 1950s: Ralph Burger attempted to reverse downward tonnage figures by reintroducing trading stamps, creating A&P's Plaid Stamps. However, by late 1962,
10486-554: Was especially hard hit because of its increased debt load to complete the Pathmark purchase. In June 2010, A&P stopped paying $ 150 million (~$ 205 million in 2023) in rent on the closed Farmer Jack stores. In August, A&P announced that it would close another 25 stores in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania: 13 Pathmarks, 6 A&Ps, 2 Waldbaum's, and 4 Super Fresh stores. In September, A&P announced it
10593-498: Was laid out in the 1860s and was originally flanked by four-story brownstone residences. It developed as a residential enclave because the topography was higher compared to the rest of the neighborhood. Samuel W. Dunscombe, who had previously been a minister, owned most land around Beekman Place at the time. James Beekman's family retained ownership of a small strip of land along the East River waterfront just east of Beekman Place. In 1865, when Beekman sold his family's land, he created
10700-472: Was named CEO and President as the company broke even. On January 15, 2015, the trade publication Supermarket News reported that A&P was still for sale. There were rumors of several parties being interested, including Cerberus , still owning Albertsons assets. However, no suitable offers were received. In May, rumors emerged that A&P was in more financial trouble as it declared a huge loss (in April) for
10807-427: Was now reduced to 600 stores. Christian W.E. Haub , the youngest son of Erivan, became co-CEO in 1994 and CEO in 1997 when Wood retired from that post. In 2001, Wood also retired as chairman, with Haub assuming that title as well. Nationwide, Walmart gained a dominant position in the grocery industry, forcing much of the competition to downsize, though in A&P's core Northeast region, Walmart still had not become
10914-598: Was ranked only No. 21 by Supermarket News of the top 75 North American grocery retailers based on 2008 fiscal year estimated sales of US$ 9.6 billion (~$ 13.3 billion in 2023). Tengelmann held approximately 38.5 percent of A&P, with Yucaipa holding a 27.5 percent share; the rest was held by individual shareholders and investor groups. Christian Haub was chairman. Eric Claus, then president and CEO, left A&P, with Sam Martin assuming these responsibilities. The 2008 recession hit many supermarkets as customers migrated to discount markets in even greater numbers. A&P
11021-483: Was selling seven Connecticut stores to Big Y . On December 10, 2010, bankruptcy rumors surfaced; A&P stock tumbled from over $ 3 per share to below $ 1 before trading was halted. Two days later, A&P announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. According to documents submitted to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, New York , A&P listed over $ 2.5 billion in assets, and $ 3.2 billion in debt. After
11128-443: Was so angry that he wanted to get out immediately and sold the property to [Jules] Berman who destroyed the mansion and let the place run down." When his uncle George Ludlum Hartford died in 1957, the trust set up by the elder George Huntington Hartford was liquidated and Hartford inherited his portion of the estate. The Chicago Tribune estimated his wealth in 1969 as half a billion dollars. In 1959, Mike Wallace introduced him on
11235-486: Was the largest grocery retailer in the United States (and, until 1965, the largest U.S. retailer of any kind). A&P was considered an American icon that, according to The Wall Street Journal , "was as well known as McDonald's or Google is today". At its peak in the 1940s, A&P captured 10% of total US grocery spending. Known for innovation, A&P improved consumers' nutritional habits by making available
11342-499: Was the same age as Haub, previously ran the American Grand Union supermarket chain. Many executives recruited by Scott left A&P; they were replaced by Wood's associates from Grand Union. In Germany, Tengelmann had considerable success with Plus stores ; they were smaller units featuring low price private-label products along with a limited assortment of meats and produce. A&P opened several divisions of Plus stores in
11449-457: Was the site of the Beekman family mansion, Mount Pleasant, which James Beekman built in 1765. James Beekman was a descendant of Willem Beekman , for whom Beekman Street and William Street were named. Willem Beekman came from Zutphen , Netherlands, to the new colony New Netherlands and was one of the first influential settlers in the Dutch town of New Amsterdam. The British made their headquarters in
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