Hy-Vee plans to close three older stores at 1556 First Ave. N.E. in Cedar Rapids, 2181 Logan Ave. in Waterloo and 3019 Rockingham Road in Davenport.

The stores will shut down permanently at 6 p.m. June 23.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette and Davenport NBC Affiliate KWQC first reported the planned closures.

"Unfortunately, these locations have not met our financial expectations over the past several years," Hy-Vee spokesperson Tina Potthoff said in a statement.

The Gazette reported that the Cedar Rapids store serves two neighborhoods the U.S. Department of Agriculture classifies as low income, and that Hy-Vee received $915,000 in tax incentives in 2002 to purchase the land for the store and replace a nearby, rundown Hy-Vee in 2002.

The downtown Des Moines store likewise was built with incentives, and there has been speculation that it, too, is failing to perform as hoped, fueled by and abrupt and unannounced cut in its hours despite a 2015 development agreement with the city that required a longer schedule.

Last week, the City Council and Hy-Vee agreed to amend the agreement to allow reduced operating hours for two years.

Potthoff has declined to comment on the profitability of the Des Moines store.

Employees at closing stores will get jobs at other Hy-Vees

Customers impacted by the closures in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Davenport can still have groceries delivered through Hy-Vee Aisles Online, Potthoff said. But the company charges $9.95 for delivery and a minimum of $24.95 in groceries must be purchased.

All employees at the stores will be offered positions at another Hy-Vee store in the area at the same rate of pay and will retain their existing benefits, Potthoff said. Hy-Vee Pharmacy customers will have their prescriptions transferred to another Hy-Vee pharmacy.

"Hy-Vee continues to be committed to the Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Davenport area through our involvement and continued investments in the local community, and we look forward to serving our customers at one of our other local Hy-Vee locations," Potthoff said.

Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Hy-Vee is closing three eastern Iowa stores