Grocery Outlet to close
Area legislators ask owners to keep location open
LIMERICK >> Employees and customers of the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market store in the Park Town Plaza Shopping Center, 301 N. Lewis Road in Limerick found out in late August that the store will be closing at the end of October.
As the date moves closer to the stated Oct. 30 closing — several area legislators have stepped in to encourage the store’s owners to reconsider the decision.
So far, those efforts have not yielded a response from the company.
State Rep. Tom Quigley, (R-146th Dist.), who has a district office in the same shopping center, has joined with Royersford Borough Mayor Jenna Antoniewicz; and Limerick Township Board of Supervisors Chairwoman, Elaine DeWan in opposition to the decision to close the store when the lease expires at the end of the month.
While technically in Limerick, the store sits very close to the Royersford line, attracting customers from both communities, and beyond.
Quigley said the trio talked about the issue and decided to write a letter to the company expressing their concerns. That letter was sent to Eric Lindberg and MacGregor Read, who are Grocery Outlet’s cochief executive officers.
“We wanted to let them know the store is very much part of the community, and has been an asset,” Quigley said. “It will be a loss to the community.”
According to the letter — which Quigley said should have been received by the company Oct. 24 — the store location is ideal for shoppers that walk from Royersford and Limerick.
“It is also heavily patronized by those on fixed incomes and senior citizens looking for the bargain prices that Grocery Outlet offers,” the letter stated. “Knowing your organization stands for high-quality, wholesome foods for families on a budget, we want to make you aware that the Royersford Grocery Outlet location specifically meets the needs of our community in a way that your mission and business model intends.”
As of Monday afternoon, Quigley said he has not yet had a response from the company.
“We think they are a great company — they stand for something we value in the community,” Antoniewicz said, adding that she is at the store several times a week, shopping with her toddler. “They stand for quality food and produce and organic products at a reasonable price. Without them, I am concerned for how it will affect the community.”
Quigley said he found out about the company’s plans when a store employee came into his office with a letter she had received from the company outlining the closure.
“She asked if there was anything we could do,” he said in an interview with Digital First Media.
According to the letter, the business model for Grocery Outlet calls for the stores to be independently owned and operated. The Limerick store currently is not independently owned.
The letter also stated that the decision to close was made after “financial review,” which determined the store does not meet the “business model criteria to become an independently owned store.”
Antoniewicz said she tried reaching out to the company several times through telephone calls since she heard the news in late August, but received no response.
“I am sure they have their reasons (for closing), and we want to help if we can,” she said.
The trio also expressed concern about the abrupt notification of the plan to the landlord of the property, Park Town Partnership LLC. According to the letter sent to the company from Quigley, Antoniewicz and DeWan, said it was their understanding a seven-month notice was required “per the lease agreement, if the lease was not going to be renewed.”
In fact, according to a press release, the landlord found out about the closing “by receiving a letter which was provided to Representative Quigley’s office.” Quigley’s district office is also leased from Park Town Partnership.
“The three of us are hoping something can be done. It will be a hardship for a lot of people in our constituencies,” Quigley added.
Digital First Media reached out to Grocery Outlet Bargain Market several times via emails and telephone calls to regional representatives, as well as to the corporate office in Emeryville, Calif., with no response.
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market sells brand-name groceries and produce for 40 to 70 percent off conventional retail prices. The company operates more than 300 stores in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.
The Limerick store had previously operated as Amelia’s Grocery Outlet. The Pennsylvania chain of value grocery stores was acquired by Grocery Outlet Bargain market in 2012.