Business & Tech
Grocery Store Chain Closing MoCo Store Location: Reports
A grocery chain is closing one of its Montgomery County stores in late July, according to multiple reports.
BETHESDA, MD — Harris Teeter is closing one of its Montgomery County stores, according to media reports. The North Bethesda location at 11845 Old Georgetown Road in Rockville will close in late July.
The grocery chain owned by Kroger also plans to close two stores in Arlington, Virginia, and a location in Tysons, Virginia, in late July.
The North Bethesda store will shut down on or before July 20, 2025, The MoCo Show reported.
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Current store hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, according to the Harris Teeter website.
The North Bethesda store has operated as a Harris Teeter since September 2008, MoCo Show said.
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The grocery chain will continue to operate stores at 4805 Battery Lane in Bethesda and 12525 Park Potomac Ave. in Potomac.
“Harris Teeter made a strategic decision to close these locations only after careful consideration,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to FFX Now. “The company employs approximately 100 to 120 valued associates at each location and began informing associates of the store closings last week.”
Company officials said all employees are being given the option to transfer to other locations.
Harris Teeter began notifying local customers about the store closures in emails Monday, according to news reports.
Related: 4 VA, DC Harris Teeter Stores To Be Divested Ahead Of $25B Mega Merger
Closures Follow Failed Merger
The move by Kroger comes about six months after the company's proposed merger with Albertsons, valued at $24.6 billion, was blocked by a federal judge.
Kroger Chairman and interim CEO Ronald Sargent said last week that the company is resuming store closures after pausing them during the regulatory review process for the merger, the Washington Business Journal reported.
“We’re simplifying our business and reviewing areas that will not be meaningful to our future growth,” Sargent said on an earnings call with analysts June 20. “Unfortunately today, not all of our stores are delivering the sustainable results we need.”
U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson issued a preliminary injunction blocking the merger in December 2024 after holding a three-week hearing in Portland, Oregon. Judge Marshall Ferguson in Seattle also issued a permanent injunction barring the merger in Washington after concluding that it would lessen competition in the state.
The rulings were celebrated as a "major win" by the Federal Trade Commission — which, together with several states — asked the federal court to stop the merger.
Federal regulators said the merger would have eliminated competition and resulted in higher prices for consumers and bad outcomes for workers. Meanwhile, the grocery giants argued that the merger would hand them the control to lower prices and compete with bigger retailers like Costco, Walmart and Amazon.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
