Kroger offers to bus customers of store that’s closing in Linden

As frustrated Franklin County officials continue to push Kroger to keep its North Linden store open, the leading U.S. grocer announced a free bus program Tuesday to take former customers of that store to another Kroger for at least the next 30 days and potentially up to 60 days.

Disappointed county commissioners have asked Kroger to keep the store in the Northern Lights shopping center open past the Jan. 31 deadline Kroger set for closing it. Commissioners are concerned that closing the grocery will be a major loss to the Linden area of about 38,000 residents.

“This is not a dying community,” County Administrator Kenneth Wilson said.

Kroger has hired EmpowerBus, a company that usually provides transportation for poor and disadvantaged riders to and from work, health care and other services. After the Kroger store at 3353 Cleveland Ave. closes, EmpowerBus will run “a continuous loop” between the closed Kroger’s parking lot and Kroger’s 1745 Morse Road store from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, Amy McCormick said Tuesday. She’s Kroger’s corporate affairs manager in Columbus.

The two stores are 2.8 miles apart. McCormick said the Cleveland Avenue store is closing because it lost $3.6 million the past five years while Kroger invested $2.7 million more into the store in that time.

McCormick wouldn’t say what Kroger will pay for the bus service. In a meeting Monday with Franklin County commissioners, McCormick said the bus would operate for 60 days, but the announcement Tuesday noted it would operate for 30 days and then be re-evaluated.

Kroger’s bus announcement came a day after McCormick and two other Kroger officials met with Franklin County officials, at least the second time the sides have met to discuss the Jan. 31 closing of the 59,000-square-foot store.

County officials believe they were blindsided when Kroger gave a 30-day notice to close the store. They wanted more notice in hopes of providing ideas or programs that would either help keep the store open or help a new grocery move into the spot. The store, county officials said, is vital to Linden-area residents for groceries, to pay bills, buy money orders and other financial services.

“We are going to continue to stay at the table talking with Kroger about finding suitable solutions (for) the residents,” Wilson said Tueday.

Wilson has “concerns” about the length of time the bus runs, hoping it can be extended into the summer to help those who don’t have cars get to the store.

Kroger noted it has three other area stores beyond the Morse Road store where Linden-area shoppers can go: 3417 N. High St., 3.2 miles away from the Cleveland Avenue store; 1350 N. High St., 4.8 miles away; and 199 Graceland Blvd., 5.8 miles away.