Kroger To 'Exit' Raleigh-Durham Area, Close 14 Stores

RALEIGH, NC — Kroger is leaving the Triangle.

The company announced in a press release Wedensday its shuttering — and then selling — its 14 stores in the Raleigh-Durham area on or about Aug. 14. Rival chain Food Lion has agreed to buy a store, Kroger says. Crunch Fitness and Harris Teeter have agreed to buy one and eight stores, respectively.

"After a thorough evaluation of the market fro a significant time period, we have decided to close our stores in the highly competitive Raleigh-Durham market," said Jerry Clontz, president of the company's Mid-Atlantic division. "While we have had some success, we have not been able to grow our business the way we would like in this market."

Clontz says experts believe there are simply too many stores in the area.

About 1,500 workers — about half of whom are part-time — will be affected, the company said. Clontz says helping the workers transition to other work is their "number one priority." (For more stories like this from Raleigh Patch, sign up for real-time news alerts and our free morning newsletter. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Or, find your local North Carolina Patch here. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app.)

"We're making every effort to assist our associates in finding employment," he said.

Among these efforts: employees will have access to job fairs, job placement services and worker assistance programs, says Clontz.

Here are the locations of the stores that Harris Teeter agreed to buy:

202 W. NC Hwy, Durham

3457 Hillsborough Rd., Durham

1273 N.W. Maynard Rd., Cary

8345 Creedmoor Rd., Raleigh

940 US Hwy 64, Apex

1802 North Point Dr., Durham

1371 E. Broad St, Fuquay-Varina

Crunch fitness has agreed to buy the store at 6300 Creedmoor Rd., Ste, 150, Raleigh.

Food Lion has agreed to buy 7905 Falls of Neuse Rd., Raleigh.

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