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KROGER chiefs have confirmed that the grocer is closing down two of its stores – and poor sales do not seem to behind their demise.
The supermarkets will disappear from the map in mid-October.
Officials warned that the impact of crime had influenced the decision to close two Fred Meyer locations – a chain which Kroger owns, as reported by the ABC affiliate KOMO-TV.
“We can no longer make these stores financially viable,” a representative for the grocer, which has more than 2,000 locations as part of its portfolio, said.
They alluded to the “steady rise” of crime that had caused costs to spike.
And, bosses had taken safety precautions.
“Despite doubling our safety and security investment over the past years, these challenges remain,” the representative said.
The stores that are closing are located in Kent and Everett, Washington, and around 45 miles separate the supermarkets.
Labor unions have expressed concerns about the impact of the pending shutdowns on the local area.
Chiefs at the UFCW 3000 union have alluded to the risk of food deserts.
Food deserts are areas where residents in a town or city live more than one mile from a grocery store.
It can be difficult for residents who don’t have access to transport to buy groceries.
There are around 130 Fred Meyer stores in the US and locations are concentrated within four states.
Washington is home to almost 60 Fred Meyer locations.
The brand has a presence in states such as Oregon, Alaska and Idaho. Fred Meyer’s four Alaskan locations are situated in Anchorage.
And, the brand founded more than 100 years ago is just one label within Kroger’s store portfolio.
Kroger owns other names including King Soopers, Pick n Save, QFC, and Ralph’s.
US braces for ‘45,000 store closures’
Some 45,000 bricks-and-mortar stores could close in the next five years, experts have warned.
Several major retailers have announced store closures or gone out of business altogether in recent years.
In 2023, chains such as Foot Locker announced plans to close up to 400 outlets by 2026.
While, other well-known retailers like Tuesday Morning and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams filed for bankruptcy in 2023.
Bed Bath & Beyond has closed all of its brick-and-mortar stores and is now an online-only retailer.
The most affected retailers have been clothing, consumer electronics, sporting goods, hobby, book, music, and home furnishing stores since the start of 2019.
UBS has predicted the total number of retail stores will drop by 45k from 958k to 913k.
Despite that, the report says that certain stores should thrive while others decline.
It said retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and Target, could be among the winners.
Kroger is not the only retailer that has closed or is shutting locations due to crime.
Last year, execs at Natural Grocers closed down a downtown Denver location because of theft.
“Despite our investment in security and loss prevention strategies over the years, these factors have continued to challenge our ability to operate our store safely and sustainably, and we have made the difficult decision to close our doors at this location,” the brand’s co-president, Kemper Isely, said at the time.
In March, Dollar Tree bosses announced 1,000 closures and retail experts linked to shutdowns to crime.
Crime and safety have been alluded as factors by bosses at In-N-Out and Target, who have closed locations in recent years.
Last year, In-N-Out pulled the plug on its Oakland, California, location.
In the fall of 2023, Target closed nine stores across the US due to crime.
