Kroger to close Norfolk store

Kroger said Thursday it is shuttering its only Norfolk store. The company plans to close the location on Little Creek Road in mid-December, a move that will impact 102 employees.

Kroger, whose Mid-Atlantic division is based in Roanoke, made the decision due to declining sales and profitability.

“This store’s low financial returns made it impossible to continue to operate while still upholding our low-price commitment to our customers,” Jerry Clontz, president of Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic Division, said in a statement.

Clontz said the company is working with impacted employees to identify potential positions at nearby stores. 

Opened in 2000, the Little Creek store is one of the oldest Kroger stores in Hampton Roads. It was purchased by Kroger as part of the Hannaford Bros. acquisition in 2000. The lease for the Little Creek store will expire in May of 2019.

Additionally, Kroger decided that it has no plans to reopen the Farm Fresh store also located on Little Creek Road. This is one of eight stores that was purchased by Kroger earlier this year. One of the stores on Coliseum Drive in Hampton already opened. The company plans to open the other six stores in the coming months, says Allison McGee, corporate affairs manager for Kroger Mid-Atlantic.