Grand Union is Checking Out

Grand Union (Wayne, N.J.), the supermarket chain that has been in and out and back in bankruptcy protection, will sell its 185 stores, now that it has Federal Trade Commission approval. About half of the stores will be acquired by C&S Wholesale Grocers (Brattleboro, Vt.), one of the country's largest food wholesalers. More than 60 will go to Royal Ahold, the Dutch supermarket giant that already owns several grocery chains in the U.S. (BiLo, Tops, Stop-and-Shop and Giant). The rest will be split between Pathmark Stores (Carteret, N.J.) and Shaw's Supermarkets, the West Bridgewater, Mass.-based retailer owned by British supermarket giant J. Sainsbury.