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Each year in the United States, 383,000 people are treated for sudden cardiac arrest. Thanks to quick work from the Retail Business Services’ – the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA – Safety team, over 300 Stop & Shop stores are now better prepared to deal with such emergencies with newly installed automated external defibrillators.

AEDs, portable life-saving devices used when the heart unexpectedly stops beating, are now in place in highly visible and easily accessible locations in Stop & Shop’s stores across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

The first 30 were put in Rhode Island stores about two years ago to comply with the state’s laws, but as the brand took a proactive step to put the devices in the remaining stores - in states where they are not required – Retail Business Services was at the ready.

“We helped Stop & Shop, which has a large number of busy stores in the Northeast, do this because it was the right thing to do,” said Safety Manager James Montesantos. “Customers in these stores now have quicker access to lifesaving devices, which contributes to an overall safer shopping experience.”

James adds that next up is a discussion around training on the devices. This training is helpful for retail associates, he says, because not only do associates learn how to use them at work, they’re also able to use the devices at home or in other settings.