Kroger closing 14 stores in Raleigh-Durham market

Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. said this week it is closing 14 stores in North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham market because the grocery market is oversaturated there. The stores will close by Aug. 14 and about 1,500 employees will be affected, most of them part-time workers.

“After a thorough evaluation of the market for a significant time period, we have decided to close our stores in the highly competitive Raleigh-Durham market,” said Jerry Clontz, president of the mid-Atlantic division of Kroger, said in a statement published by The News & Observer. “While we have had some success, we have not been able to grow our business the way we would like in this market.”

According to the News & Observer, Kroger plans to sell all 14 stores, including eight stores to Harris Teeter, which Kroger owns. But Kroger and Harris Teeter are two separate entities within the Kroger family of companies.

Kroger offers an array of private brands under its Our Brands line.,

You can read The News & Observer story here.