Kroger is closing 60 grocery stores across the country
Kroger is cleaning house and some grocery stores won't be coming back. The supermarket giant is continuing a massive store-closing plan announced in June 2025, when it said it would shutter 60 underperforming locations over 18 months. The strategy is meant to pull resources out of weaker stores and put more money and attention into locations and markets performing better.
So if your neighborhood Kroger suddenly disappears, know that the company is actively reshuffling its grocery empire. Here is more about the plan.
Some Kroger stores are closing while the company gets bigger
Kroger is closing stores and expanding at the same time. Earlier this month, the company announced plans to acquire Giant Eagle, a family-owned grocery chain with 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies across northern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The deal is expected to close in 2027, assuming it clears the necessary regulatory hurdles.
Kroger CEO Greg Foran said the acquisition would expand the company's reach into neighboring markets while allowing Kroger to focus on its existing strengths in fresh food, convenient meals and affordable prices.
Why is Kroger closing these stores?
The 60 locations were identified as underperforming, according to Kroger. Rather than continuing to pour resources into stores that aren't pulling their weight, the company wants to redirect those resources toward stronger locations and markets.
That's not exactly unusual in retail. Grocery stores operate on razor-thin margins, and a location that consistently struggles to attract enough shoppers can become a very expensive problem.
But the scale is worth some attention. Kroger operates roughly 2,700 stores across a sprawling collection of grocery brands, including Fred Meyer, Fry's Food and Drug, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, Mariano's, Pick 'n Save, QFC, and Ralphs.
The Kroger stores that have already closed
Several locations have already shut their doors as the company works through the 60-store plan. In California, the affected locations include a Food 4 Less in Santa Clarita and a Foods Co. in Sacramento. The Santa Clarita location is expected to reopen as a Ralphs. Georgia has seen four closures across Atlanta, Brookhaven, Decatur, and Alpharetta. Illinois lost a Kroger in Peoria, while Indiana saw closures in South Bend and Elkhart.
Texas has been hit particularly hard, with closures in McKinney, Houston and Spring. One McKinney location is expected to eventually be replaced by a new store. In Virginia, stores in Charlottesville and Abingdon have closed. And in West Virginia, two locations in South Charleston and Dunbar are set to consolidate into new Kroger Marketplace stores, while another location in Gassaway has closed.
Other places that have faced closures are in Louisville, Kentucky; Bossier City, Louisiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Kingsport, Tennessee.
Not every closure means Kroger is leaving
A store closing does not always mean Kroger is abandoning the market. Some locations are being replaced, relocated, or consolidated into newer stores. That is the case with the West Virginia stores moving toward new Kroger Marketplace locations. The McKinney, Texas, location is also expected to eventually get a replacement store.
If your local Kroger is on the closure list, the corporate strategy is not exactly comforting. After all, it does not change the fact that your regular grocery run has been toppled.
Source: Cleveland.com
