Ahold’s Martin’s chain to close remaining stores

Ahold’s Martin’s Food Markets chain said Wednesday that it has informed employees that it would close its remaining nine stores in the Richmond and Williamsburg, Va., communities this summer.

Martin’s, which is run by Ahold’s Giant-Carlisle chain, has been attempting to sell those stores for nearly a year. About half the chain was sold last year to Publix Super Markets when Ahold sold off stores in order to meet federal antitrust concerns of its merger with Delhaize.

Delhaize operates Food Lion stores in the Richmond and other Virginia markets.

Publix has closed the stores it acquired last year in order to renovate them and reopen them under its banner on a rolling basis.

Martin’s entered Richmond as part of its acquisition of the Ukrop’s chain there but encountered difficulty holding onto Ukrop’s shoppers amid heavy investment from competitors including Kroger and Wegmans in recent years.

“Throughout this difficult process, our top concern has been to take care of our associates and treat them fairly and with respect,” Tom Lenkevich, president of Giant, said in a statement. “We know our associates’ continued dedication to our customers will provide excellent service in the coming weeks. We are also making a best in class commitment to take care of our people with a strong severance package.”

The following stores will close July 10:

The following stores will close Aug. 2:

“We want to thank our associates for their hard work and dedication over the years, and we are grateful for the loyalty of our many customers,” Lenkevich added.