Kroger is closing all of its remaining Triangle stores early

Kroger will close all of its remaining Triangle stores earlier than expected, the grocer announced Wednesday.

The grocer’s 10 remaining stores in the Raleigh-Durham area will all close on Saturday, Aug. 11, earlier than planned.

Initially, when it announced it would be leaving the Triangle market entirely, Kroger said that its 14 grocery stores would all close on Aug. 14.

The stores will close at 8 p.m. on Saturday because products are selling faster than expected, said Allison McGee, corporate affairs manager for Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic Division, in a statement.

Associates will be provided the opportunity to work through Aug. 14.

Kroger said it would continue to operate five pharmacies and four fuel centers through noon, Aug. 14. The pharmacies remaining open are:

▪ 5116 N. Roxboro Road, Durham

▪ 1273 W. Maynard Road, Cary

▪ 940 US 64, Apex

▪ 1802 North Point Drive, Durham

▪ 1371 E. Broad St., Fuquay-Varina.

Locations of the four fuel centers that will remain open through Aug. 14 are:

▪ 202 W. NC 54, Durham

▪ 3457 Hillsborough Road, Durham

▪ 5116 N. Roxboro Road, Durham

▪ 1371 E. Broad St., Fuquay-Varina

Since it announced that it would be leaving the market, Kroger’s store closings have all come earlier than expected. Four of the stores have already closed or are expected to close on Aug. 8.

The number of layoffs as a result of the closures is also larger than originally estimated.

In June, Kroger said about 1,500 workers would lose their jobs in the region. But in July, the grocer told the N.C. Commerce Department that 1,652 employees would be laid off when its Triangle stores closed.

Eight of the Kroger stores will become Harris Teeter stores as part of Kroger’s changing strategy in the Triangle. Danna Robinson, communications manager for Harris Teeter, told The News & Observer last month that there is no timetable for the Harris Teeter renovations at this time.

These are the Kroger stores that will soon become Harris Teeters:

▪ 202 W. NC 54 in Durham

▪ 3457 Hillsborough Road in Durham

▪ 5116 N. Roxboro Road in Durham

▪ 1273 N.W. Maynard Road in Cary

▪ 8345 Creedmoor Road in Raleigh

▪ 940 U.S. 64 in Apex

▪ 1802 North Point Dr. in Durham

▪ 1371 E. Broad St. in Fuquay-Varina

Food Lion is also acquiring the store at 7905 Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh. The Food Lion location is scheduled to open in early 2019, said Matthew Harakal, a spokesman for Food Lion.

This story was originally published August 8, 2018 at 10:53 AM.