Kroger store to be demolished ‘despite best efforts’ – after admitting ‘lack of profits’ sparked devastating closure

A MAJOR retailer is demolishing one of its southern locations six years after the store closed its doors.

Starting next week, the Kroger at Fairview Park Plaza in Decatur, Georgia — about seven miles northeast of Atlanta — will be officially demolished.

The grocery store has been in the square for over sixty years, having been opened in 1958, according to the Herald Review.

It served as the city’s main grocery store until it closed in 2018.

At the time of its closing, Kroger claimed it did not renew the location’s expiring lease due to a lack of profits.

While shoppers and area residents looked to the “Save Our Store” initiative to keep the grocery store in business, the Kroger store has sat empty for the past six years.

Main Place Properties, the real estate company that manages the Decatur square, sought to fill the empty land with another business.

However, the efforts were unsuccessful.

“After Kroger vacated the 50,000-square-foot space in 2018, Main Place Properties diligently searched for a new anchor tenant to fill the void,” reads a press release obtained by the Herald-Review.

“Despite these efforts, the changing landscape and the recent addition of a new (City of Decatur) fire station on the site led to a strategic decision to repurpose the space.”

Ben Andreas, principal of Main Place Properties, said the decision to demolish the Kroger is part of the company’s goal of looking for ways to “support and restore Decatur.”

“By demolishing the old Kroger space and creating a clean slate, we can revitalize the area to benefit the west end of Decatur for years to come,” Andreas said.

The building will be demolished by Dial Demolition Services LLC.

Reports indicate that barriers have already been placed before the official demolition.

There are three other Kroger locations remaining in the city, located in Brettwood Village, Airport Plaza and South Shores Plaza.

OTHER CLOSINGS

Because residents rely so heavily on Kroger for their grocery needs, city officials previously launched a free shuttle service to take customers to a new Publix store in the area.

The trial run lasted three months in early 2023, offering free electric buses with stops at various locations in downtown Decatur.

The program came just months after Kroger closed another smaller location in the region due to declining sales and negative profit.

Walmart stores closed in 2024

So far, Walmart has closed the following stores in 2024:

• San Diego, California – February 9
• El Cajon, California – February 9
• Columbus, Ohio – February 16
• West Covina, California – March 29
• Towson, Maryland – April 5
• Granite Bay, California – April 12
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin – May 19
• Fremont, California – May 24
• Aurora, Colorado – June 7

The place had been open for 21 years.

The major supermarket chain has also closed several locations across the country in recent months.

In March, the company announced that a location in Indiana would close after 17 violations were found during a health department inspection.

Another location located on Cobb Parkway in Atlanta is also expected to close on August 17 due to the expiration of its lease.