Bermuda Square Shopping Center was moving right along with renovations. But now the construction has slowed. After completing about 50 percent of the project, the remaining retail space is either incomplete or on hold. The pad foundation, meant for the Martin’s grocery, is apparently delayed although DDR, the shopping center developer, would not comment on the status of the construction.
At issue are two Belgian companies Ahold and Delhaize, two large Europeon grocery chains, which received permission, from the Belgian Competion Authority (BCA), for a huge mergerer. It affects its Martin’s and Food Lion grocery chains in the United Stated and 84 stores could be sold countrywide.
According to the March 16 issue of Food World magazine, “the combined stores for sale are those in the Richmond, Baltimore-Washington, Eastern Shore, Southern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Lower Hudson Valley and Greater Boston markets and would seemingly represent an overlap issue for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has yet to make its divestiture list public [the FTC required Bell Telephone’s breakup or divestiture in 1974].
The company could decide to sell or close 19 Martin’s stores in the Richmond area and keep about 45 Food Lion stores open in the Richmond area. No official announcement on the closings has been released by the company.
