Wegmans is closing one of its largest locations — and its most unique — after just five years.
The Rochester, N.Y.-based grocery store chain announced Thursday that its supermarket in Natick, Massachusetts, will close this summer. The 134,000 square-foot store opened in 2018 at the Natick Mall with 365 employees, including 142 full-time and 223 part-time workers.
The two-level store took over a former J.C. Penney space and was the company’s first multi-level location within a major mall. The second floor featured a Mexican restaurant called Blue Dalia, and a special escalator allowed customers to bring shopping carts to each level.
“Unfortunately, with this non-traditional location we are unable to attract enough customers for our business model to work,” Wegmans New England human resources director Brien MacKendrick said in a statement.
An exact closing date will be announced later. All affected employees are being offered at other jobs in the state, including locations in Burlington, Chestnut Hill, Medford, Northboro and Westwood, Mass.
“We love our Natick community and customers, and we’re eager to pursue new store locations in the area for the future,” MacKendrick added. “In the meantime, we hope to continue to serve our Natick customers through our e-commerce offerings and our other area stores.”
According to CBS, Wegmans said it has no plans to close any other locations.
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., features more than 110 stores in eight states and Washington, D.C. The company has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune magazine for 26 consecutive years.
See more photos of the Wegmans in Natick, Massachusetts:
