A POPULAR grocery chain is set to close down 60 stores over the coming months, and a new location set for the axe has been revealed.
The huge supermarket chain has not been specific as to why it is getting rid of so many stores, and has not said which others will be closed.
A popular grocery chain is set to close down 60 stores over the coming months, and a new location set for the axe has been revealed[/caption]
Kroger has announced that it is closing roughly 60 stores over the next 18 months, despite a solid performance in the first quarter of 2025.
The company also performed better in the first quarter of 2025 than it did in 2024, notably.
Kroger Chairman and CEO Ron Sargent said: “Kroger delivered solid first quarter results, with strong sales led by pharmacy, eCommerce and fresh.
“We made good progress in streamlining our priorities, enhancing customer focus, and running great stores to improve the shopping experience.”
Kroger has alleged that it will offer employees of the chopping-block locations jobs in other stores.
Kroger has stayed ambiguous following the closure announcement, leaving local media to piece together a list of those that have closed so far.
It is important to note that it is unclear if these locations are a part of Kroger‘s 60 store plan.
One of the latest locations to be announced is about 33 miles north of Dallas, Texas in the city of McKinney.
A spokesperson has confirmed this closure to be genuine, saying that it is “part of a larger company-wide decision to run more efficiently and ensure the long-term health of our business.”
There is no closure date for the McKinney store, yet.
Other chains that have been spotted by local media to be closing are located primarily in the south.
On June 10, a location in Dickinson, Texas closed after 45 years, and on May 6, a spot in The Woodlands in Texas.
Brad Bailey, chair of The Woodlands Township board of directors, said in a statement: “While this is unfortunate news, we have seen this coming for some time.
“Shopping has drastically changed since the ’80s and ’90s when our village shopping centers were built.
“It’s time for us to reimagine our village shopping centers to meet the retail needs of our community today.”
Kroger’s refund policy
Kroger shoppers can return items with or without a receipt.
All Kroger Co. Family of Stores can accept returns of items purchased at any location within 30 days of purchase.
Returns with receipts:
- Customers can use digital or paper receipts to get a refund
- The refund will be returned in the same payment method the purchase was made. Either going back on a card or handed back in cash
Returns without receipts:
- Customers wanting to return more than $10 will receive a store merchandise gift card for the value
- Customers who spent less than $10 will receive cash
MORE CLOSURES
On September 19, a Kroger in Abingdon, Virginia, will be closing.
That same September date will see a Kroger location in Kingsport, Tennessee be closed, too.
This was confirmed by the United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 400, which did not take kindly to the news.
The union claimed that the closure was a result of Kroger‘s attempted merger with Albertson’s.
It was blocked by a US District Judge who claimed it would’ve risked creating a monopoly in the nation’s grocery industry.
Albertons’ later sued Kroger, alleging the latter didn’t do enough to ensure the merger was properly executed.
The union said: “Instead of investing billions of dollars in buying its own stock and paying legal fees for a doomed merger with Albertsons, plus millions more in compensation for corporate executives, Kroger needs to invest in better compensation for associates, better staffing in stores, and making store improvements to better serve their customers.
“Hard-working store associates and the customers who depend on them should not be made to pay the price for Kroger’s decisions.”
It is important to note that Kroger has not linked this closure as a direct result of its failed Albertsons’ merger.
Kroger has announced that it is closing roughly 60 stores over the next 18 months, despite a solid performance in the first quarter[/caption]
