Leading Supermarket Chain A & P Invests In Symbol Technologies Wireless Infrastructure Technology, Computing Appliances

Symbol Technologies announced today that The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, Inc. the pioneering food retailer, is installing technology solutions based on Symbol's industry-leading wireless local area network technology and mobile computing appliances throughout its 800-store chain, and will partner with Symbol on future technology projects.

The Montvale, N.J.-based supermarket chain, which operates in 16 states plus Washington, D.C. and Canada, is investing in the technology to enhance customer service and maximize store sales. A & P has been in operation since 1859.

Symbol's is being installed as the backbone at each store and the company's 11 distribution centers. Store applications that will use this infrastructure are direct store delivery and receiving, ordering and shelf price management. The Symbol Palm O/S and handheld computers will be deployed on the Spectrum24 LAN.

The technology dramatically boosts worker accuracy and productivity.

Symbol is also teaming with A & P to develop future in-store applications based on A & P's investment in its Spectrum24 wireless LAN, including Manager devices, customer kiosks, wireless streaming video and voice over I/P.

"We expect to develop many technology solutions through our partnership with industry leaders such as Symbol Technologies," said Dan Grady, Director, Retail Information Technology, A & P Stores. "We selected Symbol because of its best-of-class technology and services."

"We're excited to be working with one of the best known retailers in the U.S.," said Dwight Ogletree, Vice President, Retail Marketing, Symbol Technologies. "Symbol's 11 Mbps high data rate wireless LAN, coupled with our mobile computers, is a long-term investment for A & P, as well as other retailers. It allows A & P to run traditional in-store tasks with speed and accuracy and increases productivity. It provides the bandwidth for any future application."