New Delhi, Aug. 1 -- WESTFIELD, N.J. - Stop & Shop will shutter its downtown Westfield location and its Basking Ridge supermarket this fall, the Ahold Delhaize-owned chain confirmed this week, reducing its New Jersey store count from 47 to 45.

Both closures followed what a chain spokesperson described as "a routine evaluation of our store operations." Underperformance, not lease expiration, drove the decision in each case. All associates at both locations will be offered transfer opportunities to other Stop & Shop stores. No fixed closing date has been announced for either site.

The Westfield store stands at 219 Elm Street, a 26-year-old building that sits one-quarter mile from a Trader Joe's in the same downtown corridor. The Basking R...