WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A&P has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that Ahold’s Stop & Shop chain is lying to consumers about having lower prices.

A&P has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that Ahold’s Stop & Shop chain is lying to consumers about having lower prices.

"The false advertisements and any similarly false and misleading advertising or promotion by Stop & Shop have harmed and will continue to harm the public image and good will of the A&P and its supermarket business," the lawsuit claimed.

A&P charged that Stop & Shop’s circulars, as well as advertisements that appear in its stores and on the Internet, use false or misleading information in claiming prices 9% to 19% lower than A&P.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States district court in White Plains, N.Y., on the same day that A&P announced plans to close 25 stores.