A&P Superfresh: The Truth About Chapter 11

JPMorgan Chase to Provide $800 Million in DIP Financing  
Stores Are Fully Stocked and Remain Open,  
Providing Uninterrupted Service to Customers 


MONTVALE, N.J. – December 12, 2010 – The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P) (NYSE: GAP) announced today that it has filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.  The Chapter 11 process will facilitate A&P’s financial and operational restructuring, which is designed to restore the Company to long-term financial health.

Stores Fully Stocked and Open with No Interruption in Service A&P continues to conduct its business and serve customers at its 395 stores.  The Company’s stores are fully stocked with their complete range of high quality products, and all existing customer promotional and customer loyalty programs will stay in place.  

The Company will have access to $800 million in debtor in possession (DIP) financing, which will enable it to continue paying local suppliers, vendors, employees and others in the normal course of business.

A&P President and Chief Executive Officer Sam Martin said, “We have taken this difficult but necessary step to enable A&P to fully implement our comprehensive financial and operational restructuring.  While we have made substantial progress on the operational and merchandising aspects of our turnaround plan, we concluded that we could not complete our turnaround without availing ourselves of Chapter 11.  It will allow us to restructure our debt, reduce our structural costs, and address our legacy issues.

Mr. Martin continued, “With the protections afforded by the Bankruptcy Code and the backing of a new, pre-eminent lender, we can make strategic decisions that will benefit the Company over the long term, enabling A&P to emerge with a new capital structure and in a much improved position to exploit its fundamental strengths.  Importantly, during this reorganization our stores will operate normally with fully stocked shelves and the excellent service A&P customers expect.  Our customers can shop our stores with confidence, and our employees can continue delivering great value and service to our  customers every day.

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