Martin’s will close Gayton Crossing store by Oct. 26

Martin’s Food Markets said Monday that it will close its Gayton Crossing store at 9782 Gayton Road in western Henrico County on or before Oct. 26.

“This difficult decision comes out of our ongoing and continual assessment of our stores,” Rick Herring, the president of Giant/Martin’s, said in a statement. “Our Gayton Crossing location has not achieved performance goals after several years of operation. We thank and deeply appreciate the dedicated service of our associates at the Gayton Crossing store.”

The store at Gayton Crossing is 32 years old and was acquired from Ukrop’s Super Markets in 2010.  Martins said customers could shop at another Martin’s store on John Rolfe Parkway, about three miles from Gayton Crossing.

“We are committed to investing in the Richmond market, and we look forward to opening our new state-of-the-art, 74,000-square-foot Midlothian store next year,” Herring said. “Earlier this year, we completed remodels at Short Pump and Virginia Center with positive reviews from our customers.”

The majority of the employees at the Gayton Crossing store, which number fewer than 100, will be offered positions at other nearby stores, the company said, with information regarding the exact date of closure to be conveyed to associates and customers in the coming weeks.

Martin’s continues to operate 23 stores within the Richmond area. The new Midlothian store will open in 2014.