Las Vegas grocery store set to close in west valley
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A Las Vegas grocery store is set to close up, and some customers who spoke to 8 News Now were not pleased with the decision.
Michael Plaistead and his wife Nancy said they drive about eight miles to their favorite grocery store, the Vons at Desert Inn Road and Durango Drive, which recently began to notify customers that it is closing its doors despite its popularity.
“We like the store so much we come here, and we always find some really good bargains,” Plaistead said.
There were bargains to be had on the shelves that still had inventory. There was a sign advertising up to 75% off. The Starbucks inside the Vons closed on Oct. 21.
The pharmacy, however, remained open to date, which was good news for the Plaisteads.
“We’ve been getting our vaccine shots here for years because for some reason they never hurt here,” Plaistead said. “But we won’t be able to do that anymore.
There are five Vons in a 10-mile radius of the one closing. Customer Colleen Hill has a Vons near her place of work but told 8 News Now she prefers this location.
“It is, it’s a huge inconvenience,” Hill said. “Because now I gotta go all the way down to either Albertsons or cut up to Smith’s on Fort Apache Road, or go all the way out that way to Smith’s on Sahara Avenue or Hualapai Road, so it is inconvenient.”
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Vons issued a statement after the 8 News Now Investigators were asked to leave the property. It reads, in full:
“Vons located at 8540 W. Desert Inn Rd. is slated to close to help strengthen operational efficiencies. The company will work to place all associates in other stores.
The decision was difficult and involved a lengthy evaluation. The store’s exact closing date has not been determined. Albertsons and Vons operate 42 stores throughout southern Nevada.
Two other stores are near this location:
· Albertsons – located at 2550 South Fort Apache Road.
· Albertsons – located at 1001 South Rainbow Boulevard.
A store manager spoke briefly with 8 News Now Monday outside of the establishment. When asked why the store is closing, she admitted it is a very popular Vons, but said the store closure was “just part of doing business.”
“Really, we just make these decisions,” Zdenka Favazzo, a store manager said. “They’re difficult decisions, and we just make them.”
Vons’ parent company, Albertsons, is engaged with fellow grocery store giant Kroger in a proposed merger, announced nearly a year ago with intentions to close by early 2024. There are more than 20 Albertsons in Southern Nevada, along with over 20 Smiths, which are owned by Kroger.
The $24.6 billion merger, Kroger said, is to compete with the growing grocery success of Walmart and other companies. 15 of 46 Kroger-owned stores in Nevada would be sold to an east coast-based company, C&S Wholesale Grocers (owner of Piggy Wiggly and Grand Union), via a divestiture plan to sell 413 stores nationwide.
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