The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America

From modest beginnings as a tea shop in New York, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company became the largest retailer in the world, the first to sell $1 billion in goods. But its explosive growth made it a mortal threat to thousands of mom-and-pop stores. Main Street fought back, enlisting the state and federal governments to stop price discounting, tax chain stores, and require manufacturers to sell to mom and pop at the same prices granted to giant retailers. In a remarkable court case, the federal government pressed criminal charges against the Great A&P for selling food too cheaply—and won. Here is the story of a stunningly successful company that forever changed American commerce. It is a brilliant business history, the story of how George and John Hartford took over their father’s business and turned it into a vertically integrated behemoth that paved the way for every big-box retailer to come.