Markets 
A quick trip to your local grocery store may be on its way out.
Supermarkets, both small and large, are shutting down all across the country as chains cut underperforming stores. In an earnings call last year, grocery giant Kroger said it would slash its store count by 60 locations over the next 18 months, citing slow sales.
The Cincinnati-based brand owns a slew of local spots, and the company said the closures would primarily affect Fred Meyer, Fry’s Food and Drug, Harris Teeter, Foods Co, Food 4 Less, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Pick ‘n Save and QFC.
The shutters could harm some areas and create what experts call a food desert — where communities have little to no access to stores with affordable, healthy or fresh food. Amid the closures, Kroger recently acquired Giant Eagle in a $1.65 billion deal and is expected to close sometime next year.
Kroger’s acquisition of the Pennsylvania-based chain will add 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies to its existing network, according to Cleveland.com.
Discount supermarkets are also taking a hit. Grocery Outlet has been a reliable spot for shoppers as folks can depend on it for massive discounts, including private-label products that have discounts ranging anywhere from 40% off up to 70% off.
But customers will soon see fewer of them. Headquartered in California, the company said in a March earnings call that 36 stores will get the axe — including six in New Jersey — citing underperformance as the main reason for the closures.
Jason Potter, Grocery Outlet President and CEO, said on the call that the East Coast would be hit the hardest, with 30% shutting down.
While the store didn’t offer up a timeline, the locations were made available by restructuring and investment firm Gordon Brothers. Shortly after the closure announcement, Gordon Brothers put together a list of leases that were made public.
Despite the 36 closures, it only accounts for roughly 6% of Grocery Outlet’s lineup, according to Grocery Dive.
Safeway is also shutting down a fleet of stores after its parent company, Albertsons, announced plans to reduce its footprint. Albertsons operates over 20 other brands like Vons, Jewel-Osco, Acme Markets and Shaw’s, with over 900 locations nationwide.
Back in 2025, a fleet of Albertsons-owned stores shuttered at least 30 locations, with another 12 in the pipeline for 2026, according to The Street. So far, Safeway has closed just three locations, which are tied to expiring leases.
“We are coming to the end of our lease at this location, and have made the decision to reinvest our resources into other existing stores,” Safeway said in a statement.
The Post recently reported Walgreens, boasting roughly 8,500 stores nationwide, has shuttered locations across a dozen states, including New York and New Jersey. The move comes as part of a multiyear plan to cut costs and close less profitable stores.
Back in 2024, the Chicago-based retailer announced it would close roughly 1,200 underperforming stores over the next three years in an effort to cut $1 billion in costs. But last year, Walgreens went private and scaled back its shutters.
The Post has reached out to Kroger, Grocery Outlet and Albertsons for comment and a list of locations set to close.
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