Grocery aisles are shrinking and local shoppers are feeling it. This piece looks at why grocers are closing stores, how UNFI’s Shoppers chain is trimming locations in Maryland, the financial numbers behind the move, and what customers and workers are saying about it.
Inflation and tighter household budgets have driven people to hunt for better deals, swap brands, and change shopping patterns, and those choices ripple back to retailers. When sales dip and costs for food, labor, and imported goods climb, grocers run into trouble staying profitable. The average net profit for food retailers in 2024 is 1.7%, which leaves almost no room for error. Those thin margins make every lost customer and every extra expense a serious problem.
Closures mean fewer jobs and fewer neighborhood options, especially when regional chains scale back. Over the last few years a number of supermarket and convenience store brands have pared back or folded entirely, including Hitchcock’s Markets, Loblaw Companies, Kum & Go, and Amazon Fresh. The result is longer trips for shoppers, fewer promotions to chase, and communities that lose a regular source of groceries.
Experts point to a crowded market as part of the pressure. “In addition to low margins and expensive stores, traditional supermarkets and grocery stores have to compete with digital rivals.” That competition, combined with costly real estate and supply chain headaches, forces established players to rethink how many stores they can keep open profitably.
United Natural Foods, Inc., known as UNFI, is responding by closing several Shoppers Food Market locations this fall. The company plans to shutter four Shoppers stores in Maryland by November 8 as part of a broader move to close eight locations this season. The closures are presented as part of an effort to reorganize and optimize the retail footprint amid ongoing financial challenges.
- 4720 Cherry Hill Rd., College Park, MD 20740
- 3441 Laurel Fort Meade Rd., Laurel, MD 20724
- 4720 Cherry Hill Rd., College Park, MD 20740
- 3441 Laurel Fort Meade Rd., Laurel, MD 20724
- 18066 Mateny Rd., Germantown, MD 20874
- 4801 Marlboro Pike, Capitol Heights, MD 20743
Grocery aisles are shrinking and local shoppers are feeling it. This piece looks at why grocers are closing stores, how UNFI’s Shoppers chain is trimming locations in Maryland, the financial numbers behind the move, and what customers and workers are saying about it.
Inflation and tighter household budgets have driven people to hunt for better deals, swap brands, and change shopping patterns, and those choices ripple back to retailers. When sales dip and costs for food, labor, and imported goods climb, grocers run into trouble staying profitable. The average net profit for food retailers in 2024 is 1.7%, which leaves almost no room for error. Those thin margins make every lost customer and every extra expense a serious problem.
Closures mean fewer jobs and fewer neighborhood options, especially when regional chains scale back. Over the last few years a number of supermarket and convenience store brands have pared back or folded entirely, including Hitchcock’s Markets, Loblaw Companies, Kum & Go, and Amazon Fresh. The result is longer trips for shoppers, fewer promotions to chase, and communities that lose a regular source of groceries.
Experts point to a crowded market as part of the pressure. “In addition to low margins and expensive stores, traditional supermarkets and grocery stores have to compete with digital rivals.” That competition, combined with costly real estate and supply chain headaches, forces established players to rethink how many stores they can keep open profitably.
United Natural Foods, Inc., known as UNFI, is responding by closing several Shoppers Food Market locations this fall. The company plans to shutter four Shoppers stores in Maryland by November 8 as part of a broader move to close eight locations this season. The closures are presented as part of an effort to reorganize and optimize the retail footprint amid ongoing financial challenges.
The company says it will try to help affected employees find positions at other stores. “We fully support their interest in moving to other Shoppers locations where openings are available,” the spokesperson said. Those transfers can soften the blow, but they do not eliminate the disruption to families and local hiring.
These four Maryland closures follow an earlier round that included stores in Essex, New Carrollton, Waldorf, and Westminster. After this wave, Shoppers will still run about 13 stores around the greater Washington, D.C. area, while UNFI operates many other retail and wholesale assets elsewhere in the country. The pattern shows a retailer contracting where foot traffic or margins no longer justify keeping every outlet open.
UNFI’s consolidated financial sheet shows some strain in the retail segment. Net sales for the quarter were $7.7 billion, a modest 1.6% rise on a comparable basis, but the company reported a net loss of $87 million versus a loss of $37 million the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA fell to $116 million from $143 million, and adjusted loss per share worsened to $1.43 from a loss of 63 cents. Meanwhile, retail net sales in the quarter dropped to $573 million from $628 million, signaling an 8.8% decline in that segment.
At the local level, loyal shoppers expressed frustration online when stores were announced for closure. “This was my go to to purchase beer because they had low prices and now I don’t know where to go now smh what a bummer,” wrote user M_213figueroa. User theski25 said the store had “the best damm doughnuts,” while more_adventurous added that Shoppers is “the best spot before a party bc you got it all in one location. what a bummer.”
That whole shopping center is depressing, CVS closed, La Casita closed, now Shoppers. All that’s left is McDonald’s and Dunkin’.
Shoppers began in 1949 as Jumbo Food Stores and was acquired by UNFI in 2018. The chain built a reputation for offering a full service supermarket experience under the motto “Everyday Low Warehouse Pricing,” promising consistent affordability without requiring savings cards. For shoppers who relied on those steady prices and one-stop convenience, the closures are a real loss for routine shopping options and community commerce.
