This Tacoma Fred Meyer is set to close amid Kroger’s reduction of stores nationwide
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Fred Meyer store on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma joins Kroger's 60-store closure plan.
- Impacted workers at closed locations receive transfer opportunities within Kroger.
- Kroger cites operational efficiency and cost savings as reasons for store closures.
A longtime Fred Meyer in Tacoma’s South End is the latest among a 60-store closure planned by its parent company nationwide over the next 18 months.
A corporate representative confirmed to The News Tribune on Wednesday evening that Fred Meyer, 7250 Pacific Ave., would be closing.
A prepared statement for the chain sent via email in response to questions stated that “Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to close the Tacoma Pacific Fred Meyer store.”
It added that “While we are leaving this location, we will offer each impacted associate the opportunity to transfer to a new location. This closure is part of a larger company-wide decision to run more efficiently and ensure the long-term health of our business.”
Fred Meyer’s parent company, Kroger, in June announced planned cutbacks extending into next year.
The statement encouraged shoppers to visit other Fred Meyer locations on the Tacoma side of The Narrows Bridge, or two Pierce County QFC locations.
The store has been in operation at the Pacific Avenue site for decades. Closure is expected in September.
Mill Creek QFC
The news is the second area closure for Kroger revealed this week.
Quality Food Centers, better known as QFC grocery, filed a Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification with Washington state’s Employment Security Department on July 21. The notice lists 76 workers to be cut starting Sept. 3 as part of a closure of its Mill Creek store.
QFC, part of the Kroger chain of stores nationwide, is among the store brands to see some stores shutter as Kroger announced in June. While a master list of closings has not been generated, news outlets have reported on various announcements of stores going away in other states. This week included three suburban Chicago Mariano’s locations and a King Soopers store in Colorado.
Media organization Rough Draft Atlanta reported July 21 that some metro-area Atlanta stores were closing ahead of schedule.
Tiffany Sanders, corporate affairs manager for the Fred Meyer and QFC divisions of Kroger, told The News Tribune via email in response to questions this week that the Mill Creek closure “is a result of the lease.”
As with the Tacoma closure, “We are offering all impacted associates an opportunity to transfer to a new location,” she wrote.
No further details were disclosed.
It is unclear if the store was considered part of the corporate cutback plan. A Mill Creek customer posted June 5 on social media that workers told her at that time the store would be closing Oct. 1, also citing a rent increase at the property.
Kroger first announced its 60-store closure plan with its earnings release later that month.
The Mill Creek QFC was not among the stores Cincinnati-based Kroger sought to divest from in its failed merger attempt with Boise-based Albertsons/Safeway, though a Mill Creek Safeway was on the list.
In Kroger’s news release on the company’s first-quarter earnings report released June 20, it stated, “As a result of these store closures, Kroger expects a modest financial benefit.”
It added, “Kroger is committed to reinvesting these savings back into the customer experience, and as a result, this will not impact full-year guidance. Kroger will offer roles in other stores to all associates currently employed at affected stores.”
In Pierce County, QFC has two stores: 4101 49th Ave. NE in Northeast Tacoma and 11104 Pacific Ave. S. in the Parkland area, both of which were on last year’s divestiture list. They remain in operation following the merger’s rejection in state and federal courts in December.
Kroger and Albertsons, meanwhile, remain entangled in a legal battle over the failed merger and selloff of hundreds of stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers, which filed its own lawsuit against Kroger in March in Delaware.
For its part, Albertsons has since rebranded some of its stores in the region as Safeway sites, The News Tribune reported in March, including Gig Harbor, Spokane and the Tri-Cities area.
Kroger operates 59 QFC stores across Washington and Oregon, and 132 Fred Meyer stores across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "This Tacoma Fred Meyer is set to close amid Kroger’s reduction of stores nationwide."
