Dive Brief:
- Homeland Stores will close four stores in Oklahoma over the next 45 days, the grocer announced in a Facebook post on Thursday.
- The grocer is also consolidating stores in three markets in Oklahoma and putting an unspecified number of stores up for sale.
- These moves come less than a year after Homeland reportedly closed several stores in Oklahoma and just four months after the grocer’s parent company appointed a new chief executive.
Dive Insight:
The store moves come a few months after Frank Archer became president and CEO of HAC, Inc., the parent company of the Homeland, United Supermarkets and CashSaver banners. Archer joined HAC in December after nearly a decade as the CEO of Midwest grocer Woods Supermarket, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In the Facebook post, Homeland said it “worked hard to keep [the stores] open as long as possible” but ultimately decided that the store updates would help to build a stronger foundation for the company’s future.
Homeland is shuttering two name-brand stores in Norman, a Homeland store in Edmond and a CashSaver in Lawton.
Meanwhile, the grocery operator plans to consolidate stores in three markets before holding grand reopenings on July 1. One United Supermarkets store each in Elk City and Clinton will be combined with a Homeland store, while one of the two United Supermarket stores in Woodward will close, The Oklahoman reported.
"You're going to see better freshness, better quality, better value, better prices, a consistent store every time you walk in the building," Archer told the news outlet, which noted the chain’s stores have had subpar service levels over the past year.
Local ABC news station KOCO reported that Homeland is also putting 10 Oklahoma stores up for sale, including four in Bartlesville, two in Sand Springs and one each in Oklahoma City, Ponca City, Stillwater and Cleveland.
“We will do everything possible to place impacted employees into open positions within our company,” Homeland said in the Facebook post.
HAC did not respond to a request for comment.
"This is a pivotal moment for our company," Archer said in a news release reported by KOCO. "We’ve acknowledged where we need to improve, and we’re taking action. We believe these steps will allow us to invest more deeply in the stores and communities that will define our future."
Last summer, Homeland closed four Oklahoma stores, according to local news reports. HAC told KOCO in a statement that “a thorough review of financial performance and long-term viability” led to the decision to close those stores.
