KROGER TO CLOSE SEATTLE STORES OVER HAZARD PAY

Kroger said it would close two Seattle stores after local officials there imposed a mandatory $ 4- per- hour raise as hazard pay during the COVID- 19 pandemic for large grocery operators. The Cincinnati- based grocer said the two QFC Food Centers were “underperforming,” but the decision to close them down was sped up by the new mandate it labeled as “misguided.” Kroger’s largest union, meanwhile, blasted the move calling it an attempt to “intimidate” municipal leaders. QFC is a subsidiary of Kroger. The company said the stores would go dark after April 24.