Shaw’s Supermarkets announced today that they will lay off about 700 employees throughout New England. The grocery store chain did not reveal how many of those layoffs would take place at the 22 stores in Maine. About 90 affected employees have already been informed and the rest will be told during the next several days.

In a statement released by Shaws, company president Mike Stigers said:

A decision of this nature is never easy, but after careful evaluation, it is unfortunately the necessary step for us to take to help improve our business, reduce expenses and reinvest in more customer-facing initiatives.

Shaw's parent company is SUPERVALU and they operate about 2,500 grocery stores across the country. SUPERVALU's stock has fallen 60% this year.

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