Stop & Shop on Friday announced it will acquire Bethpage-based King Kullen.

The deal includes all 32 King Kullen supermarkets, five Wild by Nature stores and King Kullen's corporate offices in Bethpage.

There was no word on how much the deal is worth. It's expected to close in the coming weeks.

Supermarket business experts say the deal signals an aggressive move by Stop & Shop to strengthen its leading market share on Long Island, where grocery discounter Lidl is preparing to take over two dozen Best Market stores.

King Kullen Co-President Brian Cullen released a statement saying:

Longtime King Kullen shoppers tell News 12 they'll miss their neighborhood grocer. But Stop & Shop has not said whether it would close any King Kullen stores.

King Kullen opened its first store in 1930 and is credited by the Smithsonian Institution as the nation's first supermarket.