Warren, Markey, McGovern, Pressley Press Stop & Shop On Promise To Lower Prices Across Massachusetts
New investigation by the Hyde Square Task Force reveals Stop & Shop still appears to be over-charging families in inner-city neighborhoods
“We urge Stop & Shop to lower prices…and ensure that it is charging all Massachusetts families fair prices for the food they work hard to put on the table.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), pressed Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize — parent company of Stop & Shop — on the chain’s progress lowering grocery prices at stores across Massachusetts. A new investigation from the Hyde Square Task Force found that, following pressure from the lawmakers regarding potential price gouging at its urban store locations, Stop & Shop lowered prices in its Jamaica Plain store — but the grocer still appears to be overcharging working families at other Boston locations, including Grove Hall, South Bay, and Mission Hill.
“It’s good news that Stop & Shop lowered prices at its Jamaica Plain store after we pushed them for relief, but we’re still seeing higher prices for families at other inner-city locations. It’s no coincidence that working-class communities are getting stuck with sky-high prices,” said Senator Warren. “We’re keeping up the pressure to make sure Stop & Shop isn’t overcharging families for the food they work hard to put on the table.”
Following an initial Hyde Square Task Force investigation revealing price disparities between urban and suburban Stop & Shop store locations in Massachusetts, the lawmakers sent a letter to Ahold Delhaize, Stop & Shop’s parent company, raising concerns about potential price gouging at the Jamaica Plain location. Stop & Shop, in response to the letter, said it had “launched a multi-year strategy to invest in pricing and lower everyday prices” across its Massachusetts locations.
However, a follow-up investigation last month from the same group of Boston youth volunteers at the Hyde Square Task Force found that while Stop & Shop reduced prices at its Jamaica Plain location, it continues to charge higher prices at its other Boston locations. This evidence suggests that Stop & Shop continues to profit at the expense of lower-income communities in Massachusetts by charging them higher prices for groceries.
To better understand why Stop & Shop is still not providing fair and low prices in all communities in the Commonwealth, the lawmakers are pressing for answers as to why prices appear to be higher for groceries in low-income communities in Massachusetts; details on Stop & Shop’s “multi-year strategy”; and why Stop & Shop has closed seven stores in Massachusetts since the September 2024 letter.
“We urge Stop & Shop to lower prices at its grocery stores in Grove Hall, South Bay, and Mission Hill, and ensure that it is charging all Massachusetts families fair prices for the food they work hard to put on the table,” concluded the lawmakers.
The lawmakers requested a response to their questions by May 14, 2025.
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