Marylanders only have days remaining to shop in four beloved Shoppers Food discount supermarkets before they close for good. United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), Shoppers’ parent company, announced that those stores must close their operations on or before October 11, 2025, closing the book on a chapter of service for loyal customers who have been making their local grocery stores a mainstay.
Store locations to be closed
The four Shoppers Food stores to close in Maryland are strategically located across different areas, affecting diverse communities:
- Essex Location: 2286 Middlesex, 1200 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD
- New Carrollton Location: 2339 New Carrollton, 7790 Riverdale Road, New Carrollton, MD
- Waldorf Location: 2349/2414 Waldorf, 1170 West Smallwood Drive, Waldorf, MD
- Westminster Location: 2374 Westminster, 551 Jermor Lane, Westminster, MD
These store shutdowns will impact hundreds of employees and thousands of community members who have depended upon these stores to satisfy their grocery needs.
The news has been causing shockwaves among the affected communities, where many of the residents are disillusioned and upset that they are losing their neighborhood grocery anchor. In New Carrollton, long-time customers like Chiquita, who has been shopping in the store for 15 years, are worried about families that depend on walking distance to buy affordable groceries.
Neal, a two-year frequent shopper who resides a few blocks from the New Carrollton location, expressed sentiments of many residents: “It’s just bad that they’re closing stores that’s close to neighborhoods that people depend on”. The shutdown is especially inconvenient for residents with limited mobility, since some walk to these stores or rely on public transportation availability.
Local consumer Don, who has shopped at the New Carrollton site for roughly ten years, highlighted the community value: “It’s a good access to the community. It shouldn’t close at all, for real”. Customers frequently characterize these stores as more than groceries—they are community hubs and vital neighborhood institutions.
Corporate strategy behind the closures
UNFI’s move is the consequence of what the company calls ongoing “footprint optimization” efforts to make operations more effective. UNFI explained publicly: “Like any other retailer, we’re always looking to optimize our footprint, which means investing in stores and closing stores where it makes sense so that we can be as effective and efficient as possible”.
The closings are only one indicator of broader retail consolidation patterns in the grocery industry. 9i Capital Group CEO Kevin Thompson has stated that “consumer spending is dropping across the board” and that “inflation is hitting not only consumers but also corporate margins”. These economic forces have pushed grocery chains with thin margins to make painful decisions about store survival.
Historical context and market challenges
Shoppers Food, which started in 1929 and was originally known as Jumbo Food Stores, was once a market leader in the Washington D.C. metropolitan and Baltimore markets. The chain thrived for decades under the leadership of co-founder Kenneth Herman until his death in 2012. But through a number of ownership changes and purchases, “the company is a shadow of its former self and no longer Maryland’s No. 3 market share holder,” asserts industry consultant Jeremy Diamond.
The competitive landscape has altered drastically, with the big chains like Walmart, Aldi, Wegmans, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Whole Foods taking increasing market share. Traditional regional rivals like Giant Food, Safeway, and Harris Teeter also operate extensively throughout the region, which increases competition for customer loyalty as well as market share.
UNFI acquired the Shoppers chain in its 2018 $2.9 billion Supervalu acquisition, assuming 43 stores. The firm has since systematically reduced the presence, selling or closing 13 in 2019 and selling additional locations as it phased out the pharmacy business.
Following the October 11 store closure deadline, UNFI emphasized that “Shoppers Food is committed to serving our communities and our customers and looks forward to serving them from other local store locations or online through various grocery delivery options”. After these closures, Shoppers will have 17 stores left in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C.
For stranded customers, the adjustment may mean a visit to outlying Shoppers stores or trying other grocery stores in their community. The announcement suggests that delivery of the online grocery store will help bridge the distance between customers who are without easy proximity to the stores themselves.
Industry-wide retail consolidation trends
The Shoppers closures are representative of the broader retail struggles, particularly grocery store chains with razor-thin profit margins. Coresight Research is projecting a record 15,000 U.S. store closures in 2025 alone, and it implies that these Maryland store closures are merely symptomatic of a much broader industry trend.
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, explained that “following the pandemic and the ensuing inflation, consumer behaviors have shifted, leaving many feeling financially constrained”. This shift has forced retailers to consolidate operations and close underperforming locations to maintain overall business viability.
The closures also occur in the wake of growing concerns about retail theft, which has affected grocery chains throughout Maryland. UNFI did not precisely state theft as the cause of closure, yet retail loss throughout the country totaled $45 billion in 2024, states Capital One Shopping.
Last chances for shoppers
As the October 11 closing date approaches, loyal shoppers do not have much time to squeeze in their final shopping visits to these four Maryland locations. Although no announcement about closing sales or liquidation events was made, these soon-to-close locations create a sense of urgency for shoppers to change grocery shopping habits to other stores.
The shutdown of these Shoppers Food locations is more than the demise of a business, it’s the demise of decades-long relationships between the stores and neighborhoods. To the residents, the final shopping days are the final opportunity to experience the neighborhood grocery stores that have been constant community staples during periods of upheaval and economic hardship.
