MONTVALE, NJ - It continues to be a tumultuous experience of A&P employees, and it appears the road has not yet smoothed out.

The New York Post reports that the retailer now anticipates that as many as 10,000 workers could be laid off amidst the holidays due to rival grocery chains having bought fewer stores than anticipated. Of the locations that were bid on, a significant percentage of them were by those that have expressed not wanting to keep the current employees.

As we reported recently, A&P had only found buyers for about one third of the properties it offered in last week’s auction.

All in all, 67 stores remain without buyers as of the latest tally, employing about 5,000 people. Another 55 stores were bought mostly by businesses that are either not in grocery or that indicated they will not hire the stores’ current workers.

“Based on what we saw last week, it’s not a pretty picture,” John Durso, President of Local 338, said, according to the Post. He added that he expects to lose “a few thousand” union members to store closures.

Despite this, some thousands have been saved from unemployment. The stores that have been sold to chains like Acme, Stop & Shop, and Key Food in recent weeks will more than likely retain the staff of those locations, about 12,500 employees.

The story is not yet over. Another round of bidding is to be held today for the other two-thirds of properties the chain is trying to sell, and there are a final 30 stores that the New York post reports have not been put up for bidding yet. AndNowUKnow will continue to follow the events as they unfold.

A&P