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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13
OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year Commission file number 1-4141
ended February 24, 1996

THE GREAT ATLANTIC & PACIFIC TEA COMPANY, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

MARYLAND 13-1890974
(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization) Identification No.)

2 Paragon Drive, Montvale, New Jersey 07645
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code 201-573-9700

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (b) of the Act:

Name of each exchange on
Title of each class which registered

Common Stock - $1 par value New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Act:

None
(Title of Class)

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to
such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes No X

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item
405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to
the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information
statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any
amendment to this Form 10-K. [ ]

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the
Registrant at May 7, 1996 was $ 595,535,908.

The number of shares of common stock outstanding at May 7, 1996 was
38,220,333.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

The information required by Part I, Items 1(d) and 3, and Part II, Items 5,
6, 7 and 8 are incorporated by reference from the Registrant's 1995 Annual
Report to Shareholders. The Registrant has filed with the S.E.C. since the
close of its last fiscal year ended February 24, 1996, a definitive proxy
statement. Certain information required by Part III, Items 10, 11, 12 and 13
is incorporated by reference from the proxy statement in this Form 10-K.


PART I

ITEM 1. Business

General

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. ("A&P" or the "Company") is
engaged in the retail food business. The Company operated 1,014 stores
averaging 34,200 square feet per store as of February 24, 1996. In addition,
the Company began franchising its Canadian Food Basics stores in fiscal 1995.
As of February 24, 1996, the Company had 7 Food Basics Franchisee stores in
Canada averaging 25,400 square feet per store. On the basis of reported
sales for fiscal 1995, the Company believes that it is one of the ten largest
retail food chains in the United States and that it had the largest market
share in metropolitan New York and Detroit and in the Province of Ontario,
the Company's largest single markets in the United States and Canada.

Operating under the trade names A&P, Super Fresh, Sav-A-Center, Farmer Jack,
Kohl's, Food Emporium, Waldbaum's, Food Mart, Food Bazaar, Miracle Food Mart,
Ultra Mart, Futurestore, Dominion, Food Basics and Compass Foods, the Company
sells groceries, meats, fresh produce and other items commonly offered in
supermarkets. In addition, many stores have bakery, delicatessen, pharmacy,
floral, fresh fish and cheese departments. National, regional and local
brands are sold as well as private label merchandise and generic (non-
branded) products. In support of its retail operations, the Company also
operates two coffee roasting plants, two bakeries, one delicatessen food
kitchen, and an ice cream plant. The products processed in these facilities
are sold under the Company's own brand names which include America's Choice,
Master Choice, Health Pride, Eight O'Clock, Bokar, Royale, Savings Plus, Jane
Parker and Wesley's Quaker Maid. All products produced by A&P's food
processing operations are sold in Company stores. A&P also sells its coffee
and ice cream products to unaffiliated retail outlets outside of its
marketing areas.

Building upon a broad base of A&P supermarkets, the Company has expanded and
diversified within the retail food business through the acquisition of other
supermarket chains and the development of several alternative store types.
The Company now operates its stores with merchandise, pricing and identities
tailored to appeal to different segments of the market, including buyers
seeking gourmet and ethnic foods, unusual produce, a wide variety of premium
quality private label goods and health and beauty aids along with the array
of traditional grocery products.

Modernization of Facilities

The Company is engaged in a continuing program of modernizing its corporate
operations and retail stores. During fiscal 1995, the Company expended
approximately $236 million for capital projects. The Company's plans for
fiscal 1996 anticipate capital expenditures of approximately $310 million
which include the opening of 39 new supermarkets and 1 new liquor store, the
remodeling or expansion of 94 stores and converting the format of 40 Canadian
stores. As usual, the Company is currently developing plans for additional
stores to be opened in the following fiscal year.


Sources of Supply

The Company obtains the merchandise sold in its stores from a variety of
suppliers located primarily in the United States and Canada. The Company has
long-standing and satisfactory relationships with its suppliers.


The Company maintains processing facilities which produce coffee, dairy and
deli products and certain baked goods. The ingredients for coffee products
are purchased principally from Brazilian and Central American sources. Other
ingredients are obtained from domestic suppliers.


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Employees

As of the close of fiscal 1995, the Company had approximately 89,000
employees, of which 70% were employed on a part-time basis. Approximately
88% of the Company's employees are covered by union contracts.

Competition

The supermarket business is highly competitive throughout the marketing areas
served by the Company and is generally characterized by low profit margins on
sales with earnings primarily dependent upon rapid inventory turnover,
effective cost controls and the ability to achieve high sales volume. The
Company competes for sales and store locations with a number of national and
regional chains as well as with many independent and cooperative stores and
markets.

Foreign Operations

The information required is contained in the 1995 Annual Report to
Shareholders on pages 24 and 28 and is herein incorporated by reference.















































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ITEM 2. Properties


At February 24, 1996, the Company operated 1,014 retail stores.
Approximately 7% of the Company's stores are owned, while the remainder are
leased. These stores are geographically located as follows:


New England States:
Connecticut............. 56
Massachusetts........... 22
New Hampshire........... 1
Vermont................. 2
-----
Total................. 81


Middle Atlantic States:
District of Columbia.... 1
Delaware................ 8
Maryland................ 50
New Jersey.............. 111
New York................ 186
Pennsylvania............ 44
-----
Total................. 400


Mid-Western States:
Michigan................ 97
Wisconsin............... 51
-----
Total................. 148


Southern States:
Alabama................. 4
Georgia................. 45
Kentucky................ 2
Louisiana............... 26
Mississippi............. 7
North Carolina.......... 23
South Carolina.......... 8
Virginia................ 51
West Virginia........... 6
-----
Total................. 172

Total United States... 801

Ontario, Canada........... 213
-----
Total Stores.......... 1,014
=====










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The total area of all retail stores is approximately 34.7 million square feet
averaging 34,200 square feet per store. The stores built by the Company over
the past several years and those planned for fiscal 1996, generally range in
size from 50,000 to 65,000 square feet, of which approximately 65% to 70% is
utilized as selling area.

The Company operates two coffee roasting plants, two bakeries, one
delicatessen food kitchen, and an ice cream plant in the United States and
Canada. In addition, the Company maintains warehouses which service its
store network.

The net book value of real estate pledged as collateral for all mortgage
loans amounted to approximately $49 million as of February 24, 1996.

ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings

The information required is contained in the 1995 Annual Report to
Shareholders on page 28 and is herein incorporated by reference.

ITEM 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

There were no matters submitted to a vote of security holders during the
fourth quarter of fiscal 1995.


PART II

ITEM 5. Market for the Registrant's Common Stock and Related Security Holder
Matters

The information required is contained in the 1995 Annual Report to
Shareholders on pages 29, 30 and 31 and is herein incorporated by reference.

ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data

The information required is contained on page 31 of the 1995 Annual Report to
Shareholders and is herein incorporated by reference.

ITEM 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis

The information required is contained in the 1995 Annual Report to
Shareholders on pages 15 through 18 and is herein incorporated by reference.

ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

(a) Financial Statements: The financial statements required to be filed
hereunder are described in Part IV, Item 14 of this report. Except for the
pages included herein by reference, the Company's 1995 Annual Report to
Shareholders is not deemed to be filed as part of this report.

(b) Selected Quarterly Financial Data: The information required is contained
on page 29 of the 1995 Annual Report to Shareholders and is herein
incorporated by reference.

ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and
Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.










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PART III

ITEMS 10 and 11. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant and
Executive Compensation

Executive Officers of the Company

Name Age Current Position

James Wood.......... 66 Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer
Fred Corrado........ 56 Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Financial
Officer
Christian W.E. Haub. 31 President and Chief Operating Officer
Peter J. O'Gorman... 57 Executive Vice President - International Store
and Product Development
Gerald L. Good...... 53 Executive Vice President - Marketing and
Merchandising
J. Wayne Harris..... 57 Executive Vice President - Canadian Operations
George Graham....... 46 Senior Vice President - Chief Merchandising
Officer
John D. Moffatt..... 48 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer -
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Company of Canada, Limited
Ivan K. Szathmary... 59 Senior Vice President - Chief Services Officer
Robert G. Ulrich.... 61 Senior Vice President - General Counsel


Corporate officers of the Company are elected annually and serve at the
pleasure of the Board of Directors; each of the executive officers, with the
exception of Mr. Moffatt, is a corporate officer.

Mr. Wood was elected Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer on
April 29, 1980. From December 1988 to December 1993 and at other prior times
he also served as President. He is Chairman of the Executive Committee and
is an ex officio member of the Finance and Retirement Benefits Committees of
the Board.

Mr. Corrado was elected as Vice Chairman of the Board on October 6, 1992. He
has also served as Chief Financial Officer since joining the Company in
January 1987. Mr. Corrado also served as Treasurer of the Company in 1987
and from April 18, 1989 through December 5, 1995. Mr. Corrado has been a
member of the Board of Directors of the Company since December 4, 1990, and
is currently the Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and a member of the
Finance and Retirement Benefits Committees.

Mr. Haub was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company on
December 7, 1993. Prior to assuming his present position he served as
Corporate Vice President, Development and Strategic Planning, since joining
the Company in 1991. Prior thereto and during the past five years, Mr. Haub
was a partner in the investment banking firm, Global Reach, which he had
joined from the investment banking firm of Dillon Read & Co., Inc. in New
York City. Mr. Haub has been a member of the Board of Directors of the
Company since December 3, 1991 and is a member of the Finance Committee.

Mr. O'Gorman was elected Executive Vice President - International Store and
Product Development on June 26, 1995. During the past five years he was
Executive Vice President - Development and Strategic Planning, and Executive
Vice President - Development.

Mr. Good was elected Executive Vice President - Marketing and Merchandising
on October 3, 1994. During the past five years and prior to assuming his
present position he served as Senior Vice President and Chairman, The Great
Atlantic & Pacific Company of Canada, Limited, Senior Vice President - Field
Administration, and as Vice President - Chief Administrative Officer.

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Mr. Harris was elected Executive Vice President - Canadian Operations on
December 12, 1995. Prior thereto, he had been successively Executive Vice
President, Chairman Waldbaum's, Inc. and Chief Operating Officer - U.S.
Operations. In 1993 Mr. Harris was Senior Vice President - Northeast
Operations, and prior thereto Vice President - Operations Greater New York
Metropolitan area. During the past five years and prior to joining the
Company in September 1992, he was Group President, Cincinnati/Dayton
marketing area of the Kroger Company.

Mr. Graham was elected Senior Vice President - Chief Merchandising Officer in
March 1990. Prior to assuming his present position he was President, Metro
Group of the Company.

Mr. Moffatt was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Great
Atlantic & Pacific Company of Canada, Limited effective upon his hire on
September 1, 1994. Prior thereto and during the past five years he was
president of Cott Corporation's Control Brands Division in Ontario, and from
January 1989 to November 1992 he was President, Eastern Division, First
National Supermarkets in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Dr. Szathmary was elected Senior Vice President and Chief Services Officer in
July 1986.

Mr. Ulrich was elected Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the
Company in April 1981.

The Company has filed with the Commission since the close of its fiscal year
ended February 24, 1996 a definitive proxy statement pursuant to Regulation
14A, involving the election of directors. Accordingly, the information
required in Items 10 and 11, except as provided above, appears on pages 1
through 14 and is incorporated by reference from the proxy statement.

ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The information required is contained in the Company's 1995 definitive proxy
statement on pages 1 and 5 and is herein incorporated by reference.

ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

The information required is contained in the Company's 1995 definitive proxy
statement on pages 1 and 7 and is herein incorporated by reference.


PART IV

ITEM 14. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K

(a) Documents filed as part of this report

1) Financial Statements: The financial statements required by Item
8 are included in the fiscal 1995 Annual Report to Shareholders. The
following required items, appearing on pages 19 through 30 of the 1995
Annual Report to Shareholders, are herein incorporated by reference:


Statements of Consolidated Operations
Statements of Consolidated Shareholders' Equity
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Statements of Consolidated Cash Flows
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Independent Auditors' Report






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2) Financial Statement Schedules are omitted because they are not
required or do not apply, or the information is included elsewhere in
the financial statements or notes thereto.

3) Exhibits:

Exhibit Incorporation by reference
Numbers Description (If applicable)

2) Not Applicable
3) Articles of Incorporation
and By-Laws
a) Articles of Incorporation Exhibit 3)a) to Form 10-K
as amended through for fiscal year ended
July 1987 February 27, 1988
b) By-Laws as amended through Exhibit 3)b) to Form 10-K
March 1989 for fiscal year ended
February 25, 1989

4) Instruments defining the Exhibit A to Form 10-Q
rights of security holders, for the quarter ended
including indentures August 27, 1977; and
Registration Statement
No. 33-14624 on Form S-3
filed May 29, 1987

9) Not Applicable

10) Material Contracts
a) Management Compensation Exhibit 10)b) to Form 10-K
Agreements for the fiscal years ended
February 25, 1989,
February 24, 1990, and
Exhibit 10)a) for the fiscal
years ended
February 26, 1994, and
February 25, 1995

b) Supplemental Executive Exhibit 10)b) to Form 10-K
Retirement Plan, amended for the fiscal year ended
and restated February 27, 1993

c) 1975 Stock Option Plan, Exhibit 10) to Form 10-K for
as amended the fiscal year ended
February 23, 1985

d) 1984 Stock Option Plan, Exhibit 10)e) to Form 10-K
as amended for the fiscal year ended
February 23, 1991

e) 1994 Stock Option Plan Exhibit 10)e) to Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended
February 25, 1995

f) 1994 Stock Option Plan Exhibit 10)f) to Form 10-K
for Non-Employee Directors for the fiscal year ended
February 25, 1995

g) Competitive Advance and Exhibit 10) to Form 10-Q
Revolving Credit Facilities for the quarter ended
Agreement dated as of December 2, 1995, filed on
December 12, 1995. Form SE.




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Exhibit Incorporation by reference
Numbers Description (If applicable)


11) Not Applicable

12) Not Applicable

13) 1995 Annual Report to Shareholders

18) Not Applicable

21) Subsidiaries of Registrant

22) Not Applicable

23) Independent Auditors' Consent

24) Not Applicable

27) Financial Data Schedule

28) Not Applicable


(b) Reports on Form 8-K

No reports on Form 8-K were filed for the fiscal year ended February
24, 1996.






































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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed
on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.


The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc.
(registrant)

Date May 14, 1996 By: /s/ Fred Corrado

Fred Corrado
Vice Chairman of the Board and
Chief Financial Officer


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this
report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the
registrant in the capacities and as of the date indicated.

/s/ James Wood Chairman of the Board,
James Wood Chief Executive Officer and Director

/s/ Fred Corrado Vice Chairman of the Board,
Fred Corrado Chief Financial Officer and Director

/s/ Rosemarie Baumeister Director
Rosemarie Baumeister

/s/ Christopher F. Edley Director
Christopher F. Edley

/s/ Christian W.E. Haub Director
Christian W.E. Haub

/s/ Helga Haub Director
Helga Haub

/s/ Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer Director
Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer

/s/ Paul C. Nagel, Jr. Director
Paul C. Nagel, Jr

/s/ Eckart C. Siess Director
Eckart C. Siess

/s/ Fritz Teelen Director
Fritz Teelen

/s/ Henry W. Van Baalen Director
Henry W. Van Baalen

/s/ R.L. "Sam" Wetzel Director
R.L. "Sam" Wetzel











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The above-named persons signed this report on behalf of the registrant on
May 14, 1996.





/s/ Kenneth A. Uhl Vice President, Controller May, 14, 1996
Kenneth A. Uhl Date


























































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