**Kroger to Close Multiple Fred Meyer Locations in Seattle Area**
Kroger, the Ohio-based grocery giant and parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC, has announced plans to shut down its Lake City and Redmond Fred Meyer locations in October. These closures follow the recent announcements of store shutdowns in Kent and Everett as part of a broader nationwide reduction strategy.
The affected stores are located at 13000 Lake City Way NE and 17667 NE 76th St., Redmond. In total, 343 employees will be impacted. The shutdowns are part of Kroger’s national plan to close 60 stores over the next 18 months, citing reasons such as theft and ongoing financial losses.
These newly announced closures bring the total number of Fred Meyer store closures in the Seattle area to six. The company’s recent business challenges include a failed $1 billion merger attempt with Albertsons, the parent company of Safeway and Haggen. Following this, Kroger initiated $7.5 billion in stock buybacks and faced a $125 million lawsuit from C&S Wholesalers, which has recently been settled.
