The Albany Mega Foods, 2000 Queen Ave. SE, is closing after 18 years, and its last day of business will be Sept. 8, said Stephen Ellis, vice president of the company.
“It’s a very difficult situation that, obviously, no one wants to have happen,” he added.
The Ellis family made the decision last week and notified employees on Monday.
Ellis said that with new retailers coming into the Albany area, sales have declined at the store. “With the WinCo expansion, they definitely put a hurt on us,” he said. WinCo opened up its Albany store in early July.
Larger chains were making it harder and harder for independent grocers to survive, Ellis added.
A letter to customers posted at the store said that Mega Foods took drastic measures to compete and stay open.
People are also reading…
“But as relentless as we were, it just wasn’t enough to maintain growth and stability in the Albany area,” the letter states.
The letter thanks customers, and asks them to continue to support local independent businesses, as they give back to the community.
Forty workers are at the Albany Mega Foods, and most will be transferred to the company’s three other stores, Ellis said.
“We have Lebanon, which isn’t very far away from Albany, and we’re going to be keeping that open,” he said.
Both the Albany and Lebanon locations were previously branded as Shop N Kart stores.
Starting Sept. 3, the Albany Mega Foods store will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Until then, the store is open from 6 a.m. until midnight.
Kyle Odegard can be reached at kyle.odegard@lee.net, 541-812-6077 or via Twitter @KyleOdegard.
Kyle Odegard
News Editor
Kyle Odegard graduated from Portland State, has been a journalist for 20 years and is currently news editor and an editorial board member for Mid-Valley Media. Hiker, skier, gardener, food-to-table fan.
