Ukrop's to Shutter Roanoke Store

RICHMOND, Va. — Ukrop's Super Markets here on Friday said it would close its Roanoke, Va., location, after two years of trying to expand its presence into the new market.

“We wish it had worked out differently," said Ukrop's chairman, president and chief executive officer Bobby Ukrop in a prepared statement on Friday. "It's painful for many reasons, not the least of which is that we will no longer be able to offer employment to associates who have diligently served [local] customers."

In its prepared statement, the company said, "Slow site development at the new center and being a stand-alone retail operation (until this past month) have inhibited sales growth."

The privately owned company, which, as previously reported, has been said to be negotiating a possible sale, will continue to operate 26 supermarkets following the scheduled Oct. 24 closure.

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