Stop & Shop to Lay Off 850 Workers

Quincy, Mass., Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., a unit of Dutch grocer Ahold Ltd., said it would close its distribution facility in North Haven, Conn., by mid-2006, resulting in the loss of about 850 jobs. Distribution of products currently handled by the facility will be shifted to the company’s distribution center in Freetown, Mass., and to a third-party supplier, the company said.