Kroger is moving forward with plans to close 60 stores under multiple brands by the end of the year, leaving roughly 20 locations remaining to shut their doors after a wave of midyear closures across several states.
Kroger’s 2026 Store Closures and Fleet Reductions
Kroger first announced last year that the company would close the locations by the end of 2026. Since then, the company has shuttered over 35 locations under banners such as Kroger, Harris Teeter and Pick ‘n Save, according to analysis conducted by Grocery Dive, Fast Company and most recently, MassLive. The closures come after multiple court rulings blocked Kroger’s merger with grocery store company Albertsons. Kroger announced last month that it will buy Giant Eagle supermarket for $1.65 billion.
According to MassLive, some closures have already occurred in Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Some of the brands impacted by closures include Kroger, Fred Meyer, Fry’s Food and Drug, Harris Teeter, Jay C Food Stores, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Pick ‘N Save and QFC stores. Based on Kroger’s initial estimate of 60 closures and MassLive’s recent analysis, that leaves just over 20 locations left to shut their doors. According to Kroger’s website, it operates over 2,700 total stores nationwide. Kroger declined to provide additional information to USA TODAY when reached for comment.
Reported Storefront Closures
Below are reported closures, per MassLive and Fast Company’s analysis:
Fred Meyer
Tacoma, Washington – 7250 Pacific Ave.
Fry’s Food and Drug
Mesa, Arizona – 1915 S. Power Road
Harris Teeter
Arlington, Virginia – 950 S. George Mason Drive
Arlington, Virginia – 3600 S. Glebe Road, Suite W100
McLean, Virginia – 8200 Crestwood Heights Drive
Rockville, Maryland – 11845 Old Georgetown Road
Charlotte, North Carolina – 5706 Wyalong Drive
Raleigh, North Carolina – 5563 Western Blvd., Suite 6A
Jay C Food Stores
Shoals, Indiana – 201 High St.
King Soopers
Centennial, Colorado – 5050 E. Arapahoe Road
Kroger
Alpharetta, Georgia – 11877 Douglas Road
Atlanta – 2452 Morosgo Way NE
Brookhaven, Georgia – 3855 Buford Highway NE
Decatur, Georgia – 3479 Memorial Drive
Peoria, Illinois – 3311 N. Sterling Ave.
Elkhart, Indiana – 901 Johnson St.
South Bend, Indiana – 4526 W. Western Ave.
Louisville, Kentucky – 4211 S. 3rd St.
Bossier City, Louisiana – 4100 Barksdale Blvd.
Kingsport, Tennessee – 1664 E. Stone Drive
Houston – 239 W. 20th St.
Houston – 9325 Katy Freeway
Houston – 2300 Gessner Road
McKinney, Texas – 2901 Lake Forest Drive (replacement store planned for 2027)
Spring, Texas – 6060 Farm to Market 2920
Abingdon, Virginia – 466 Cummings St.
Charlottesville, Virginia – 1904 Emmet St. N.
Dunbar, West Virginia – 981 Dunbar Village (consolidated into marketplace location)
Gassaway, West Virginia – 2908 State St.
South Charleston, West Virginia – 5 River Walk Mall (consolidated into Kroger Marketplace at 3060 Ray Park Blvd.)
Mariano’s
Bloomingdale, Illinois – 144 S. Gary Ave.
Buffalo Grove, Illinois – 450 W. Half Day Road
Northbrook, Illinois – 2323 Capital Drive
Pick ‘n Save
Glendale, Wisconsin – 1735 W. Silver Spring Drive
Milwaukee – 3701 S. 27th St.
Milwaukee – 2355 N. 35th St.
Oak Creek, Wisconsin – 2320 W. Ryan Road
South Milwaukee, Wisconsin – 2931 S. Chicago Ave.
QFC
Mill Creek, Washington – 926 164th St. SE
Financial Rationale and Impact on Store Employees
As a result of these store closures, Kroger expects a modest financial benefit,
Kroger said in its first quarter 2025 news release.
To mitigate the employment impact, Kroger will offer roles in other stores to all associates currently employed at affected stores.
Broader Retail Context and Midyear Closing Trends
The grocery reductions fit into a wider national retail contraction tracked by market research firms. Coresight Research has released its latest report on retail store openings and closings in the United States. The midyear data from the market research firm covers activity through July 3, 2026, and suggests there will be fewer store openings and closures this year than in 2025—though closures are still numbering in the thousands and retailers are being more selective with their expansion efforts.
Coresight estimates that U.S. retail is on pace for as many as 8,228 store closures this year (the top end of the firm’s projected range), down from the 9,197 recorded in 2025. Coresight’s data is based on a range of metrics, including announcements from retailers and its store intelligence
tracking platform, which captures store counts at regular intervals.
In the first half of 2026, Coresight tracked 3,321 store closures, actual and planned—a 44.1% drop from the 5,941 tracked at the same point in 2025. Retailers estimated to have the most closures this year include 7-Eleven, GameStop, Francesca’s, Eddie Bauer, and Walgreens. As for store openings, 3,215 stores have been tracked so far, 23% fewer than 2025’s midyear count of 4,176. Coresight estimates that U.S. retail is on pace for 4,482 store openings this year.
Strategic Real Estate Shifts Across the Industry
Other major retailers are also trimming select underperforming storefronts while expanding elsewhere. T.J. Maxx closed two stores earlier this year. The discount chain operates more than 1,300 stores nationwide and is the flagship brand in TJX’s global footprint of nearly 5,000 locations, which also includes Marshalls, HomeGoods, HomeSense, and Sierra.
In Boston, the three-story Newbury Street location closed on January 5 after nearly a decade in business. This closure was confirmed through a Massachusetts WARN notice affecting 117 workers, most of whom were offered positions at nearby stores. Maxx closed its Ellsworth Place mall location, ending a 10-year run and affecting about 60 employees.
Elizabeth LaFontaine of Placer.ai, a foot-traffic data software company, said this type of pivot is typical for chains that are still growing overall. Chains that continue to grow their footprint nationwide benefit from more strategic location selection,
she told Inc.
LaFontaine added that Store fleet expansion involves creating the right store formats in the right locations for the right audience, which can require some pivots over time.
The company has framed each closure as routine real estate management rather than a sign of trouble. We are always assessing and reviewing our real estate strategies and our decision to close this store reflects that thinking,
a T.J. Maxx spokesperson told The U.S. Sun. According to First Business Magazine, while these closings have occurred, TJX has posted 34 consecutive years of comparable sales growth—a streak that has held even as inflation has pushed more shoppers toward value retailers.
