FOURTH AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT FOURTH AMENDMENT dated as of January 13, 1997 (this "Amendment") to the AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of June 15, 1995 (as modified by the Waiver and First Amendment thereto dated as of February 16, 1996, the Second Amendment thereto dated as of May 10, 1996 and the Third Amendment thereto dated as of September 11, 1996, the "Credit Agreement"), each among THE GRAND UNION COMPANY, a Delaware corporation (the "Borrower"), the institutions from time to time party thereto as lenders (the "Banks") and BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, as agent (the "Agent"). Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein shall have the respective meanings set forth for such terms in the Credit Agreement. W I T N E S S E T H : WHEREAS, the Borrower has requested that the EBITDA and interest coverage covenants in the Credit Agreement for the respective fiscal quarters of the Borrower ending January 1997 and March 1997 be amended; and WHEREAS, subject to and upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth and in the Credit Agreement as amended hereby, the Banks party hereto are agreeable to the foregoing; NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows: 1. AMENDMENTS. The Credit Agreement is hereby amended effective as of January 3, 1997 as follows: (a) Section 8.9 of the Credit Agreement is amended by (i) replacing the amount "135,000,000" set forth opposite "January 1997" in the table contained in such Section with the amount "130,000,000"; and (ii) replacing the amount "140,000,000" set forth opposite "March 1997" in the table contained in such Section with the amount "130,000,000". (b) Section 8.11 of the Credit Agreement is amended by (i) replacing the month "January 1997" in the first row of the table contained in such Section with the month "October 1996"; (ii) replacing the month "March 1997" in the second row of the table contained in such Section with the month "July 1997"; and (iii) inserting the following as a new second row of the table contained in such Section: "Fiscal Quarter ending in January 1997 and Fiscal Quarter ending in March 1997 1.22:1". 2. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Borrower hereby represents and warrants to the Agent and each Bank that: (a) after giving effect this Amendment, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on and as of the date hereof; and (b) the representations and warranties of the Borrower and the other Credit Parties contained in the Credit Agreement and the other Credit Documents are true and correct on and as of the date hereof as if made on and as of the date hereof after giving effect to the amendments contemplated hereby, except to the extent such representations and warranties expressly relate to a different specific date. 2 3. EFFECTIVENESS. This Amendment shall become effective as of the date specified in Section 1 hereof when: (a) the Agent shall have executed and delivered a counterpart of this Amendment and received duly executed counterparts of this Amendment from the Borrower, each Subsidiary of the Borrower that is a party to any Credit Document and as many of the Banks as shall be necessary to comprise the "Required Banks" or the "Required Class Creditors", as the case may be; and (b) the Borrower shall have paid to the Agent for the account of the applicable Lenders the fee described in Section 4 hereof. 4. AMENDMENT FEE. The Borrower shall pay to the Agent, in immediately available funds, for the account of each Bank that executes and delivers a signature page to this Amendment on or prior to January 13, 1997, an amendment fee equal to 12.5 basis points on the sum of (a) such Bank's Revolving Loan Commitment, and (b) the aggregate outstanding principal amount of Term Loans held by such Bank. 5. STATUS OF CREDIT DOCUMENTS. (a) This Amendment is limited solely for the purposes and to the extent expressly set forth herein, and, except as expressly modified hereby, (i) the terms, provisions and conditions of the Credit Documents, (ii) the terms and provisions of the Further Assurances Agreement dated as of June 15, 1995, as modified in writing prior to the date hereof, between the Borrower and the Agent, and (iii) the Liens granted under the Credit Documents shall continue in full force and effect and are hereby ratified and confirmed in all respects. 3 (a) No amendment made to the Credit Agreement pursuant to this Amendment shall relieve the Borrower from complying with any other term or provision of the Credit Agreement as amended hereby. 6. COUNTERPARTS. This Amendment may be executed and delivered in any number of counterparts and by the different parties hereto on separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original, but all of which shall together constitute one and the same instrument. A complete set of counterparts shall be lodged with the Borrower and the Agent. 7. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, AND SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 4 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized officers to execute and deliver this Fourth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement as of the date first above written. THE GRAND UNION COMPANY By: /s/ Francis E. Nicastro ----------------------- Name: Francis E. Nicastro Title: Vice President and Treasurer BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, Individually and as Agent By: /s/ Mary Kay Coyle ------------------ Name: Mary Kay Coyle Title: Managing Director BANKAMERICA BUSINESS CREDIT, INC. By: /s/ Richard Levenson -------------------- Name: Richard Levenson Title: VP BANK POLSKA KASA OPIEKI, SA By: /s/ William A. Shea ------------------- Name: William A. Shea Title: Vice President Senior Lending Officer 5 COMPAGNIE FINANCIERE DE CIC ET DE L'UNION EUROPEENNE By: /s/ Sean Mounier ---------------- Name: Sean Mounier Title: First Vice President By: /s/ Brian O'Leary ----------------- Name: Brian O'Leary Title: Vice President THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BOSTON By: /s/ Timothy M. Barns --------------------- Name: Timothy M. Barns Title: Division Executive FLEET CAPITAL CORPORATION By: /s/ Eric Rubin -------------- Name: Eric Rubin Title: Vice President HELLER FINANCIAL, INC. By: /s/ Salvatore Salzilla ---------------------- Name: Salvatore Salzilla Title: AVP 6 LEHMAN COMMERCIAL PAPER INC. By: /s/ Michele Swansen ------------------- Name: Michele Swansen Title: Authorized Signatory SWISS BANKING CORPORATION, LONDON BRANCH By: /s/ J. Cullinane ---------------- Name: J. Cullinane Title: Director Attorney-in-fact By: /s/ James Duplessie ------------------- Name: James Duplessie Title: Executive Director Distressed Debt Attorney-in-fact PROTECTIVE LIFE INSURANCE CO. By: /s/ James Dondero ----------------- Name: James Dondero Title: Authorized Signatory QUANTUM PARTNERS LDC By: /s/ Mark Sonnino ---------------- Name: Mark Sonnino Title: Attorney-in-fact SENIOR DEBT PORTFOLIO By: Boston Management and Research, as Investment Advisor By: /s/ James L. O'Connor --------------------- Name: James L. O'Connor Title: Treasurer 7 TRANSAMERICA BUSINESS CREDIT CORPORATION By: /s/ Perry Vavoules ------------------ Name: Perry Vavoules Title: Senior Vice President VAN KAMPEN AMERICAN CAPITAL PRIME RATE INCOME TRUST By: /s/ Kathleen A. Zarn -------------------- Name: Kathleen A. Zarn Title: Vice President The foregoing Fourth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement is hereby consented and agreed to, and the Liens and guaranties under the Credit Documents are hereby confirmed, by: MERCHANDISING SERVICES, INC. GRAND UNION STORES, INC. OF VERMONT GRAND UNION STORES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, INC. SPECIALTY MERCHANDISING SERVICES, INC. By: /s/ Francis E. Nicastro ----------------------- Name: Francis E. Nicastro Title: Vice President and Treasurer of each of the above listed entities 8