Grocery Chains, Including Safeway and Stop & Shop, Are Closing Stores, Starting April 16

Two local stores are closing up shop this spring.

Shoppers in Michigan will be sad to learn that one of two Country Style Marketplace locations is closing on April 16. The store in Fort Gratiot is on the chopping block, while the location in Downtown Port Huron will remain open, local radio station WGRT reported.

The owners attributed the closure to inflation, which has driven up the cost of goods and services.

“After much deliberation and consideration of options, consolidation of these stores is imperative if we are to remain a viable business in this environment," co-owner Steve Fernandez told WGRT.

And residents of Rochester, Vermont, will bid adieu to Mac's Market store on May 19. According to The White River Valley Herald, Mac's is the only local grocery store in the area.

Multiple Sprouts stores are closing.

Several Sprouts Farmers Market stores are exiting at the end of April. In March, a spokesperson told Best Life that 11 stores in total are closing in parts of Texas, California, Georgia, Florida, and Washington, by the second quarter of 2023.

One store has already closed as of March 6, and now, additional locations are slated to close on April 30. Two Sprouts markets are closing in California—in Roseville and West Hollywood—with other shuttered locations in Wellington, Florida, and Lynwood, Washington.

In a statement previously provided to Best Life, Dan Sanders, chief store operations officer for Sprouts, called the decision to close these stores "difficult," explaining that the grocery chain is now focused on opening "smaller format stores" and working to help team members stay employed at Sprouts.

"We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication these team members have put in over the years and hope they will continue to work for Sprouts," Sanders said.

Best Life reached out to Sprouts again to inquire about where the remaining stores will close, but has not yet heard back. Regardless, if you're a regular Sprouts shopper, don't be too disappointed: The grocery store is also opening 30 new stores in 2023.

Safeway is also closing a location.

In May, a Safeway store on Bay Street in San Francisco is closing, a spokesperson for Albertsons Companies (which owns Safeway) confirmed to Best Life. The store will close "around May 27," the spokesperson said, and all associates will be given the opportunity to transfer to another store.

"Safeway has been a proud member of the Fisherman’s Wharf community for decades, and the decision to close this store isn’t one we made lightly," the spokesperson said. "We continuously evaluate the performance of our stores, and occasionally it’s necessary to close locations that aren’t meeting financial expectations."

The spokesperson added that the company "remains committed" to the San Francisco area, where it operates 16 other stores.

Two Stop & Shop stores are closing this summer.

Come June, regional grocery chain Stop & Shop is closing two locations as well. The first store to exit is in the Glenville area of Greenwich, Connecticut, and will stay open through June 15, per a company spokesperson.

"Stop & Shop has made the difficult decision not to renew the lease for our store located at 11 Glen Ridge Rd, in Glenville, Connecticut, as the store was not meeting financial expectations," the spokesperson told Best Life. "We look forward to continuing to serve the community at our other locations, including nearby Greenwich (West Putnam Avenue), and Stamford."

The Stop & Shop in Brockton, Massachusetts, is also closing. A spokesperson previously told Best Life that the store, located at 932 North Montello St., will stay open "through late summer 2023." Similar to the Greenwich store, the Brockton Stop & Shop is also closing because it didn't "meet financial expectations."

Associates from both locations will be offered the opportunity to transfer to other Stop & Shop locations, per the spokesperson.