Grocery Stores, Including Aldi, Are Closing Locations Best Life

May 20, 2024

Store closures, in general, are inconvenient. Even if you're a devoted online shopper, there are still those instances where you need to head to a brick-and-mortar location in a pinch. We tend to visit grocery stores in-person most often, so when your local shop announces a closure, it can throw your entire routine for a loop. Now, discount chain Aldi and other grocery stores have announced impending shutdowns, meaning your local spot could be on the line. Read on to find out when and where locations are shuttering, starting today.

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Aldi—known for its affordable groceries—is closing two locations, the first of which is shutting down for good today, June 13.

According to the Massillon Independent, the Aldi at 5117 W. Tuscarawas St. in Canton, Ohio, is closing at 8 p.m. tonight. Employees were offered the opportunity to work at other Aldi stores, and no jobs were lost, company officials told the outlet.

It's not all bad news, however: Aldi is opening a new store at 2624 Lincoln Way E in nearby Massillon, Ohio, this Thursday, June 15. According to the Massillon Independent, Aldi officials "prioritized a swift and seamless transition" from the closing store to the opening of the new location.

Another Aldi store at 3831 Auburn Street in Rockford, Illinois, is shutting down, the Rockford Register Star reported. The situation is similar to the one in Ohio, with Aldi opening a new store on West Riverside Boulevard.

In an email to Best Life, a spokesperson for Aldi confirmed that the Auburn Street store will stay open until construction is complete at the new location, which is anticipated to open later this year. The spokesperson added that the company "prioritizes a seamless transition between stores."

According to Rockford City Administrator Todd Cagnoni, the closing and reopening of Aldi locations isn't abnormal.

"They relocated a store that used to be right next to Rockford University into a newer, larger footprint further to the east," Cagnoni told the Rockford Register Star. "They relocated a store in Loves Park to the southwest corner of Riverside and Forest Hills Road following their new model. As their market demand has increased, they have changed their model and expanded their footprint."

While city officials did ask Aldi to keep the Auburn Street location open to give residents another grocery store option, Cagnoni said the company decided to follow its business model.

According to the Aldi spokesperson, "several factors" are considered when the company chooses new locations.

"Aldi looks for convenient locations for our customers that can support a high traffic volume daily," the spokesperson said. "We are also committed to ensuring that the design and experience of each store matches the quality of our products while providing customers with the best shopping experience possible. We look forward to serving the Rockford community with this store, ensuring the design and experience match the high quality of our products."

Tops Friendly Markets, a grocery chain based in New York, is closing a location this month, too. According to a June 5 press release, the Tops store and fuel station at 1520 West 36th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, will close at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 23.

The store's lease is expiring this summer, the company release states, and officials opted to close in light of renovation and reinvestment efforts at five other Tops Markets stores in the Erie area.

"Closing a store is always a difficult decision," Ron Ferri, executive vice president of operations and distribution for Tops Markets, said in the press release. "The expiration of the lease combined with the proximity of other Tops locations as well as the new amenities we'll now be able to add at those locations all factored into the decision. We are offering all affected associates positions at nearby stores."

A spokesperson for Tops Friendly Markets confirmed that the company doesn't have plans to close any other Tops stores in the area.

Mini-Max, a grocery store with three locations in Oklahoma and Kansas, is facing an impending closure as well.

According to the Cowley CourierTraveler, the sole Kansas store, located in Winfield Plaza, is closing soon. No official date has been set, the outlet reported, and Anita Hadley, the Winfield store manager, confirmed that the staff was "just told recently."

The Winfield store first opened in July 2019 as part of an effort by owner Bill Johnson to open stores in food deserts, according to the Cowley CourierTraveler. The Winfield Mini-Max, which also sells home goods, is currently offering a 25 percent discount on all merchandise, Hadley confirmed.

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