Stop & Shop Cos. will close a division.

The Boston-based company, which operates Bradlees discount stores and Stop & Shop supermarkets, said it found buyers for two of its 19 Almys department stores but will liquidate the remaining 17. The stores to be closed are in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, while the two that were sold are in Rochester, N.Y. Stop & Shop, which has been rumored to be a takeover target of Dart Group, had announced Jan. 12 that it would sell the division to focus on its core businesses.