in 1999, pathmark proposed the sale of itself to royal ahold, a dutch supermarket company which operated edwards stores in the new york area. under the terms of the deal, edwards super food stores would become pathmarks. the sale was abandoned after the ftc rejected ahold's offer to divest overlapping stores, saying the offer would "not preserve competition" in the new york area. ahold decided to cancel the acquisition; in 2000 it announced that it would rebrand edwards stores as stop & shop.