Borough manager: The Fresh Grocer appears set to replace Stop & Shop at Fieldstone shopping center

Borough Manager Scott Heck said the borough is close to securing a replacement grocery store for the Fieldstone shopping center after Stop & Shop closed. "I will tell you that The Fresh Grocer has met with the borough team directly to view their plans," Heck said, adding that the company has filed permits with multiple borough departments and that those permits are ready to be issued even as final contracts are still being negotiated.

Heck said the borough first learned about Stop & Shop's planned exit roughly 90 days ago. He called the store’s closure "a pivotal moment for an investment and a development into our community," and urged residents to see the change as an opportunity. He described the initial phase of the replacement as a short interruption: the new grocer expects to close for about a week to change equipment, deep-clean and switch point-of-sale systems before reopening with new branding.

The borough manager said negotiations include plans for larger renovations that could take up to nine months, but added the owner intends to keep the store serving customers during the work. "These agreements will require both an investment on the part of the new store as well as on the owner of the shopping center," Heck said, noting confidentiality constraints limit what the borough can share while deals are being finalized.

Heck also urged residents to support existing and returning tenants during the transition. He encouraged attendance at a public Redevelopment meeting scheduled for Monday, Oct. 14 at borough hall, where borough staff and the property team will explain the redevelopment process and next steps.

The status described by Heck relies on private negotiations with the property owner and the prospective grocer; he said permits are in place but contracts remain incomplete and some specifics — including the exact scope and phasing of renovations — were "not specified."