The face of the grocery store is constantly changing. While some large chains have announced expansion plans for the year ahead (Aldi, for example, announced 30 new stores in 12 states), others have had to scale back operations.
In 2025, shoppers will say goodbye to Piggly Wiggly, Dollar General and other stores. Last June, Kroger announced plans to close 60 stores over the next 18 months — a move the Cincinnati-based grocery company appears to be sticking to.
The plan was unveiled at the company’s first quarterly meeting of 2025, with Chairman and CEO Ron Sargent saying Kroger would close “underperforming” stores and reallocate its resources to stronger markets. He added that “modest financial benefits” from these closures will be reinvested into the customer experience.
While the company has not released a full list of affected stores that will close this year, multiple media outlets have identified a number of Kroger stores that have announced closures.
Kroger stores in various states reportedly slated to close in 2026 are:
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California(1)
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Colorado(2)
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Georgia(4)
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Illinois(4)
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Indiana(3)
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Kentucky(1)
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Maryland(1)
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North Carolina(1)
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Tennessee(1)
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Texas(1)
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Virginia(5)
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West Virginia(1)
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Wisconsin(5)
While a closing date for all stores has not yet been set, Kroger is sticking to its plan to close 60 stores this year. The larger impact of these closures is unclear because the company also owns other popular stores such as King Soopers, Ralph’s, Fred Meyer and Harris Teeter.
However, at the same meeting, Kroger announced plans to also Open This year we will open 30 stores. They haven’t announced a location yet, but three of them are reportedly headed to North Texas.
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