BY ADAM SWIFT
PEABODY — The latest round of an international supermarket shuffle will see the Peabody and Saugus Hannaford supermarkets change their banner to Big Y.
The owner of Hannaford Supermarkets, Brussels-based Delhaize Group, and Ahold, the parent company of Stop & Shop in the Netherlands, agreed to sell 86 U.S. locations as they attempt to gain Federal Trade Commission approval for a $31 billion merger.
For eastern Massachusetts shoppers, that means the proposed sale of eight Hannaford supermarkets.
The agreement is subject to Federal Trade Commission clearance and formal completion of the Delhaize Group and Ahold merger. It is expected that the sale of the eight stores will be completed by early September, according to Springfield-based Big Y Foods Inc.
They intend to hire as many current Hannaford employees as possible, according to store officials. Following completion of the sale, the Peabody and Saugus stores will close for a few days to make some minor renovations, equipment upgrades, cleaning, painting and re-stocking product.
“As an American-owned and Massachusetts-based company, we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to grow and to further expand into some key locations in Eastern Massachusetts,” said Charles L. D’Amour, Big Y’s president and CEO, in a statement.
Michael Norton, a Hannaford spokesman, said the company is committed to serving customers and its employees before and during the changeover.
“We’re big supporters of the transition,” he said. “That’s our role, to be supportive and continue to be a well-established and strong operation at all our locations.”
Hannaford has 25 locations in Massachusetts. When the merger between the supermarket behemoths is finalized, there will be 17 stores in the state.
Once the transaction is completed, Big Y will have a total of 79 stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The sale will significantly increase its eastern Massachusetts presence. They operate stores in Walpole and Franklin.
Adam Swift can be reached at [email protected].