1988, Farmer Jack sold the 60-store division to various retailers including 29 stores to Boise, Idaho-based retailer Albertsons. Later in 1987, a lengthy strike by Detroit-area clerks and cashiers, who were not supported by meat cutters or Teamsters, depleted Borman's cash reserve and forced the company to buy out 800 workers at the cost of $12.9 million. The 1987 strike started a period of losses that would prompt the sale to A&P. In 1989, beginning a decade of merger mania in the supermarket business, A&P paid $76 million for 79 Farmer Jack stores operated by Borman's. The buyout made A&P the top player among grocery stores in southeastern Michigan, with a 36% share. By 1994, all A&P stores in metro Detroit had been converted to Farmer Jack stores. In the mid-1990s, A&P rebranded select stores within the East (mostly in Virginia and South Carolina) to the Farmer Jack banner; while they shared the same name, these stores were not controlled by the Midwest division. These stores were closed or sold by 1999. In September 2003, a newly built Farmer Jack opened in Milford, Michigan; a new store opened in Waterford, Michigan, in 2005. The company planned a new store for Dearborn Heights in 2004, but it opened as Food Basics instead. After A&P discontinued the Food Basics brand locally, the company converted it into a Farmer Jack. Decline and demise After initial merger pains, Farmer Jack rose to prosperity, becoming A&P's most profitable division through the 1990s. But in 2002, the chain began losing money. Former executives attributed this to several reasons: The decision to expand the chain beyond metro Detroit; stores in the Toledo, Flint, Saginaw and Lansing markets were unsuccessful and proved to be a major financial drain. The lack of capital improvements within its existing stores. In 2001, Kroger committed to a five-year, $345M initiative to remodel or replace its existing metro Detroit stores. In 2002–2003, Farmer Jack committed just $50M. Analysts blamed the discrepancy on A&P's financial woes and its need to conserve cash. A delayed response to the price war launched between Meijer, Kroger and Super K-Mart. The discontinuation of awarding Northwest Airlines mileage for purchases in late 2001, which alienated many of its affluent consumers. A&P's decision to lay off most local executive management, merchandising operations, accounting, advertising and marketing positions, consolidating and performing these operations from its Montvale headquarters instead. "You really, truly