78-year-old grocery store chain closes its first location ever

Regional and national grocery store chains regularly evaluate their portfolios of locations to determine if keeping certain sites open makes economic sense. Chains will likely designate underperforming or unprofitable units for closure when a site's lease is set to expire. If it's a dire situation, ...

Feb 6, 2026 - 06:00

78-year-old grocery store chain closes its first location ever

Regional and national grocery store chains regularly evaluate their portfolios of locations to determine if keeping certain sites open makes economic sense.

Chains will likely designate underperforming or unprofitable units for closure when a site's lease is set to expire. If it's a dire situation, a company might close a location long before a lease expires.

These store closures are usually a huge disappointment to longtime shoppers.

Grocery stores face an array of challenges to remain profitable, including competition from regional and national supermarket chains, rising costs of products and labor driven by inflation, consumers' changing attitudes toward products, and lease rates that don't make economic sense.

Food inflation rises, revenue stalls

Supermarkets faced increased food-at-home inflation after the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, rising by 11.4% in 2022 and 5% in 2023, while revenue peaked only 0.5% higher in 2022 year-over-year, before falling below 2021 levels in 2023 and 2024 and recovering in 2025, according to data from IBISWorld.

West Sacramento, Calif.-based regional grocery chain Raley's Companies, which operates 235 stores under several banners in seven states, faced many of these same issues.

The company evaluated a Raley's location in Roseville, Calif., and a Nob Hill Foods unit in Mountain View, Calif., and in January 2026 decided to close both stores as a result of expiring leases, TheStreet's Fernanda Tronco reported.

Gelson's sells location to Kroger

In some cases, a grocery chain will give up on an unprofitable location and sell it to a rival to remove a financial liability from its books.

Encino, Calif.-based regional chain Gelson's posted a message on its website that it would close its Carlsbad, Calif., location on El Camino Real on Feb. 28, 2026.

Gelson's, which operates 29 stores in Southern California, will sell the store to Kroger, which will transform the location into a Ralph's supermarket on March 9, Grocery Dive reported.

Cosentino's plans to close a Price Chopper store in Overland Park, Kan.
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Price Chopper closes location

And now, 78-year-old grocery chain operator, Cosentino's Food Stores, is closing down a Price Chopper location in Overland Park, Kan., marking the first store it has closed in its history.

Cosentino's Food Stores, which operates 24 Price Chopper, 3 Sun Fresh, 3 Cosentino's Markets, 2 Apple Market, and a Market 48 Liquor, said it will close the Price Chopper at 119th Street and Metcalf Avenue in February after it completes a liquidation sale, which began Jan. 28.

The family-owned grocery operator said the closing comes as it plans to invest $40 million in the Kansas City area through remodels and new locations in 2026.

The company did not give a specific reason for closing the location.

More closings:

Bankrupt restaurant chains permanently close popular locations
Major retail chain closes 35 stores nationwide, no bankruptcy
Another major retail chain closes warehouse operations

The Overland Park-based company will reveal further details in the coming months, according to KCTV-5.

"For nearly 80 years, the Cosentino family has built lasting relationships with our customers, our team members, and the communities we serve," Owner John Cosentino, vice president of Cosentino Group Inc., said.

Cosentino's offers affected employees other positions

Employees of the closing store will be offered positions at one of Cosentino's other stores in the area, the company said.

"Cosentino values the dedication and hard work of its employees and is committed to supporting them through the transition," the company said.

Cosentino's Price Chopper chain is not affiliated with Schenectady, N.Y.-based Northeast Grocery, which operates Price Chopper, Market 32, and Tops Friendly Markets in New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.