Kroger announces additional QFC, Fred Meyer store closures in WA
4 Fred Meyer locations closing in western WA
Fred Meyer is closing four stores in western Washington this fall, with the company citing increased theft and regulatory issues that are adding costs.
SEATTLE - Six QFC or Fred Meyer grocery stores are now on the chopping block as the brands' parent company, Kroger, decides to close even more locations in Washington. Tuesday's announcement comes one day after the corporation announced plans to close Fred Meyer locations in Kent and Everett.
Which Kroger stores are closing in western Washington?
By the numbers:
Kroger announced today the closure of the following two stores:
- Lake City location at 13000 Lake City Way NE. This will affect 175 workers.
- Redmond location at 17667 NE 76th St will close, affecting 168 workers.
These are slated to shut down Oct. 17-18.
Local perspective:
Four locations closing in October will impact 703 workers. More workers will be affected by the September closures. Some residents and local elected officials are sounding the alarms over food deserts, while Fred Meyer assures the public that workers will be offered new posts.
Union members respond to Kroger closures in Washington
What they're saying:
The UFCW 3000 union said in a statement on Aug. 19, that their representatives will sit down with the grocery giant to bargain over these newly-announced store changes over the coming days.
"This strategy raises serious concerns about food access for working class communities. Three out of the four stores Kroger plans to close are located in zip codes with incomes that rank below their respective county’s household median income," read a statement from UFCW 3000 Communications Director Rich Smith.
Included in the union's statement are figures related to Kroger's business performance, such as: Kroger saw a 77% higher net income and 63% higher operating income than they did in 2019, according to the London Stock Exchange Group.
Fred Meyer spokesperson responds to closure of four locations in western Washington
"Fred Meyer is proud to serve communities across Washington. Unfortunately, due to a steady rise in theft and a challenging regulatory environment that adds significant costs, we can no longer make these stores financially viable.
Despite doubling our safety and security investment over the past years, these challenges remain. Every associate will be offered a position at another location, and we remain committed to serving communities across Washington where we can operate sustainably," read the statement, in full.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal's statement on Kroger (QFC and Fred Meyer) closures
Seattle Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said, "Food deserts aren’t a natural phenomenon—giant grocery store corporations create them when they put their bottom lines over the health and well-being of our communities and workers," her statement began.
"Closing stores will put people out of work and make it harder for families to put food on the table – all for the benefit of corporate shareholders and even as CEOs take home millions in pay every single year.
I founded the Monopoly Buster’s Caucus in Congress to fight back against this exact kind of treatment of working-class people – consumers and workers – and we’ll be fighting to ensure that everyone has access to quality, affordable food," Congresswoman Jayapal continued.
Dig deeper:
The closures come the week after Kroger settled a $125 million lawsuit.
In December 2024, judges blocked a $25 billion merger deal with Albertsons.
Additionally, the spokesperson for Fred Meyer released a list Tuesday of other nearby stores in operation that are not closing.
In Everett:
- QFC 2615 N Broadway Avenue, Everett
- Fred Meyer 12906 Bothell Everett Highway, Everett
- QFC 4919 Evergreen Way, Everett
- Safeway 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett
- Grocery Outlet 10115 Evergreen Way, Everett
- Walmart 1605 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett
- Trader Joes 1302 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett
In Kent:
- QFC at 13304 SE 240th Street, Kent
- Fred Meyer 25250 Pacific Hwy S, Kent
- Grocery Outlet 23910 104th AVE SE, Kent
- Safeway 20830 108th AVE SE, Kent
For Lake City:
- Fred Meyer: 915 NW 45th Street, Seattle
- Fred Meyer: 100 NW 85th Street, Seattle
- QFC: 1531 NE 145th St, Seattle
- QFC: 11100 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle
- QFC: 9999 Holman Road NW, Seattle
- Safeway: 12318 15th AVE NE, Seattle
- Grocery Outlet: 3020 NE 127th St, Seattle
For Redmond:
- QFC: 15800 Redmond Way, Redmond
- QFC: 8867 161st Ave NE, Redmond
- QFC: 425 Urban Plaza, Suite 100, Kirkland
- Fred Meyer: 2041 148Th Ave NE, Bellevue
- Fred Meyer: 12221 120th Ave NE, Kirkland
- Safeway: 17186 Redmond Way, Redmond
- PCC: 11435 Avondale Rd NE, Redmond
- Whole Foods: 17991 Redmond Way Redmond
- Safeway: 15000 NE 24th St, Redmond
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The Source: Information in this article came from Fred Meyer and UFCW 3000, the largest private-sector union in Washington.