In a March 26 post on its Facebook page, Homeland announced that it will close four stores in Oklahoma and consolidate six other locations into three.
Homeland said in the post that it had informed employees of the changes the previous day, explaining the moves as “important steps to strengthen our company and better serve our communities.”
The stores that will close include the Homeland on Bryant in Edmond; the Homeland on Alameda, Norman; the Homeland on Robinson, Norman; and the CashSaver in Lawton.
As part of the consolidations, the company’s United Supermarket banner store in Clinton will close, leaving the Homeland store in Clinton; the United Supermarket in Elk City will close, with the Homeland there remaining open; and the United Supermarket on Oklahoma Avenue in Woodward will close, while the United Supermarket on 8th Street in Woodward will continue to operate. Grand reopenings for the rebannered stores is set for July 1.
“These are not easy decisions,” Homeland added. “Some of these locations have been part of their communities for years, and we’ve worked hard to keep them open as long as possible.”
However, it said the changes are necessary to build a stronger foundation for the future: “This is part of our comeback and getting back to what we do best: fresh food, real value and being part of our communities.”
Homeland said it will work diligently to place impacted employees into open positions across the company. On its website, Homeland describes itself as “Oklahoma’s largest locally owned grocery chain” with 35 locations statewide. It has been employee owned since 2012.
Oklahoma City store up for sale
A subsequent post on the Homeland Facebook page from the grocer along with RestoreOKC said that the Homeland at NE 36th and Lincoln in Oklahoma City is being put up for sale rather than being closed.
Homeland has been working with Restore OKC, a 501c3 organization focused on “sustainable transformation” and helping people transition out of crisis, for the past five years “to expand food and health access in Northeast Oklahoma City through initiatives like The Market at EastPoint,” the companies said.
They added, “Over the past several weeks, our teams have been working to ensure the grocery store at NE 36th and Lincoln was not placed on a closure list. Our partnership and those conversations allowed Homeland Stores to move the location to a potential sale list rather than closing it, giving us the time needed to secure a path forward for community ownership.”
While a sale is pursued, Homeland continues to finance store operations while Restore OKC works with partners to raise the necessary funding to secure the store for long-term community ownership, the post said.
“Both organizations share a deep commitment to this neighborhood and recognize the importance of this location as a vital source of food access, local jobs and economic stability.”
[RELATED: More Independent Store News]