Natural Grocers Closing 1 of Its Tucson Stores
Natural Grocers plans to close one of its Tucson, Ariz. stores at the corner of Broadway Boulevard and Kolb Road on Dec. 11.
The store, located at 7220 E Broadway Boulevard, is one of 12 Natural Grocers locations in Arizona and one of four in the Tucson area.
"With the pending expiration of the lease for this location, we made the strategic decision to close the Broadway and Kolb store to enhance operating efficiencies and store performance across the Tucson market," commented Kemper Isely, Natural Grocers co-president. "This decision was reached after careful consideration of the store's operational challenges impacting performance, saturation in the Tucson area, and capital improvements required for this location in the near future. Based on our market analysis, we believe this decision will help us serve the Tucson community more effectively and efficiently in the future."
Isely added, “While this move supports the long-term strength of our business, our priority remains on working with our good4u Crew members during this transition and continuing to serve the Tucson community through our other local stores."
The company is working with each of its associates who will be affected by this closure to identify potential transfer opportunities or a transition package, including severance and health benefits.
Natural Grocers will begin store-wide closing sales on Tuesday, Dec. 3, with discounts of 25% off items in the dairy, frozen, grocery and produce departments and 10% off everything else — including supplements, body care and beauty. All sales will be final.
After the Broadway and Kolb location closes, Natural Grocers customers can shop at nearby Tuscan stores located at River Road, Broadway and Country Club, and Oracle and Orange Grove.
On Oct. 31, Natural Grocers also closed its Downtown Denver store at the corner of Colfax and Washington due to operating challenges, including retail theft and safety issues. The store was one of 46 Natural Grocers locations in the company's home state of Colorado.
Despite the closures, the grocer wrapped its fourth quarter and fiscal year in positive territory, with metrics that reflect a growing business. Net sales, while fueled by inflationary conditions, rose 9.3% during the fourth quarter to $322.7 million and were up 8.9% for the fiscal year to $1.24 billion. Comps increased 7.1% for the quarter and a similar 7% for the year.
Family-operated Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc. operates 168 stores in 21 states. The Lakewood, Colo.-based natural and organic grocer is No. 95 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
