The chain's largest competitors are Hannaford, Market Basket, Price Chopper, Roche Bros., Wegmans, and Stop & Shop.

[3] However, like most of Albertsons' chains, Shaw's and Star Market participate in the just for U rewards program, which does not use a physical card.

As George C. Shaw and BPM continued to grow, it was decided that a central warehouse would be needed for the two companies.

In the 1980s, a warehouse was built in Wells, Maine, and in January 1991, Shaw's opened a distribution facility for perishable food items in Methuen, Massachusetts.

In November 1983, J Sainsbury plc, then the UK's largest supermarket group, purchased 21% of Shaw's outstanding stock.

J Sainsbury plc acquired stores from four New England food retailers: Iandoli's (1987), Cerretani's (1993), Star Market (1999) and Butson's (2003).

Star was the first New England supermarket to have air-conditioned stores, the touch method of ringing registers, in-store check verification, refrigerated cooked foods, self-service wrapped meats, and packaged produce.

In November 1999, J Sainsbury/Shaw's Supermarkets closed the Star Market Distribution Center in Norwood, laying off over 300 Local 25 Teamster members.

In May 1999 Local 25 agreed to a six-month extension with J Sainsbury/Shaw's Supermarkets on the then-prevailing contract to bargain in "good faith".

[4] In 2001, J Sainsbury/Shaw's Supermarkets closed the Shaw's Distribution Center in East Bridgewater, laying off over 400 UFCW members.

On June 2, 2006, a partnership of SuperValu, CVS Corporation, and several investment firms, including Cerberus Capital, acquired Albertsons with the intent to divvy up the parts.

[6][7][8] In September 2007, Shaw's closed its stores in Providence and Pawtucket, Rhode Island; and Waterbury, Connecticut, because of poor sales.

Amidst the closings, SuperValu remodeled and updated many Shaw's stores, which has continued under Albertsons ownership.

Shaw's also, during that time, increased their marketing efforts, partnering with the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox Radio Network as their "official supermarket", airing advertisements frequently on New England radio stations, and maintaining a Facebook page with more than 93,000 fans.

Also under Albertsons recent ownership, several Shaw's stores in the immediate Boston area were remodeled and re-opened as Star Markets, with the idea of increasing the number of locations of that brand to a possible 30 over the next few years.

[21] Before it was acquired by Shaw's, Star Market Company had been part of Jewel Companies, and while Jewel owned Star it built many combination food-drug stores branded as "Star-Osco", with common checkstands but separate management teams.

Shaw's and Star Market has gradually acquired brands, including:[22] SuperValu announced in May 2011, that its national brand equivalent products (including Shaw's) would be renamed "Essential Everyday" in line with its plans to phase out own-brand products carrying the names of its banners nationwide.