December 5, 2002

Milestone Anniversaries at People's Bank and Stop & Shop Lead To Customer Appreciation Week

BRIDGEPORT, CONN.
Next week, People's Bank and Stop & Shop celebrate a unique business partnership and milestone anniversaries, and show their appreciation to customers at the 63 banking offices located in Super Stop & Shop stores across the state. People's and Stop & Shop will collaborate by greeting customers at store entrances and offering them cake, coffee and soft drinks the week of Dec. 8.

People's will continue to show its appreciation to customers in traditional branches throughout December, which marks People's 160th anniversary;Stop & Shop celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.

"We're proud of our relationship with Stop & Shop, a company that, like People's, places strong emphasis on providing exceptional customer service," said Robert R. D'Amore, executive vice president, Marketing & Regional Banking at People's.

The partnership between People's Bank and Stop & Shop Companies has thrived since the relationship began in 1995 when People's opened its first Stop & Shop office in Hamden. On Dec. 4 of this year, the bank held a grand opening in its 63rd supermarket branch - this one in South Windsor.

D'Amore underscored the convenience inherent in a seven-day-a-week banking operation and discussed the depth and breadth of offerings provided via People's Stop & Shop branches. "Customers in a Stop & Shop branch have access to the same range of products and services as customers in our traditional branches, but they are available at non-traditional banking hours."

People's (peoples.com) is a diversified financial services company providing commercial, consumer, insurance and investment services. Founded in 1842, it is the largest state-chartered bank in Connecticut with managed assets of $13 billion, 154 branches and 230 ATMs. People's is a leader in consumer and commercial banking, residential lending, insurance sales, supermarket banking and is the nation's 16th-largest issuer of MasterCard and Visa credit cards. Peoples subsidiaries offer brokerage services, asset management, equipment financing and leasing, and insurance services.

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, based in Quincy, Mass., employs more than 56,000 associates and operates 333 stores throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.