Kroger leaves North Carolina and will shut down all of its 14 stores in the Raleigh-Durham area in mid-August. Why the abrupt departure?
The Cincinnati based company cited “a changing retail environment” and “overstoring” as reasons for the store shutdown.
The Kroger stores, run by the Mid-Atlantic division, have been present in the Raleigh-Durham area since 1989. However, Jerry Clontz, president of the Mid-Atlantic division of Kroger, said the decision was made after a “thorough evaluation of the market for a significant time period,” adding that “while we have had some success, we have not been able to grow our business the way we would like in this market.”
The company’s sister division Harris Teeter will move into eight of the properties, with Food Lion and Crunch Fitness taking over one store each. Agreements to sell two other locations are also under contract.
This would mark the exit of Kroger’s banner in North Carolina, although the company still maintains a presence there with its Charlotte-based Harris Teeter division, which was acquired by Kroger in 2014.
Kroger closings will affect 1,500 employees
The store closings will affect about 1,500 associates. Clontz said that Kroger employees would be offered job fairs, job placement services and employee assistance programs to help them with the process.
Kroger locations in North Carolina: Durham and Raleigh
These are the eight Durham and Raleigh Kroger locations/stores that Harris Teeter has agreed to acquire are:
- 202 W. NC Highway 54, Durham
- 3457 Hillsborough Road, Durham
- 5116 N. Roxboro Road, Durham
- 1273 N.W. Maynard Road, Cary
- 8345 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh
- 940 U.S. Highway 64, Apex
- 1802 North Point Drive, Durham
- 1371 E. Broad St., Fuquay-Varina
More Kroger Locations in North Carolina That Will Be Discontinued
- 6300 Creedmoor Rd., Ste. 150, Raleigh
- 7905 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh
- 2680 Timber Drive, Garner
- 350 Six Forks Road, Raleigh
- 3420 Southwest Durham Drive, Durham
- 3825 S. Roxboro St., Ste. 101, Durham
14 Kroger Raleigh and Durham Stores Closing
Crunch Fitness will acquire the store at 6300 Creedmoor Road, Suite 150, Raleigh and Food Lion will acquire the store at 7905 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh.
“Kroger has a long tradition of operating in this area, as does Harris Teeter” said Danna Robinson, communication manager for Harris Teeter. “Our valued associates have proudly served these Raleigh-Durham communities for decades, so these store locations are especially attractive to us. We plan to invest in remodeling a number of these locations to better serve our shoppers in this growing and vibrant market.”
The Kroger North Carolina banner is no longer. What do you think? Do you miss shopping at Kroger?