'Making these decisions is never easy.' Wegmans to close experimental store

Wegmans Food Markets announced this week that the company will close its store in Natick, Massachusetts roughly five years after the store opened.

Located within the Natick Mall, the market was an experimental store for the chain, as Wegmans' first multi-level grocery store within a shopping mall. The 134,000-square-foot store, which opened in April 2018, is among the largest in the Gates-based supermarket chain. The store initially opened and operated a Mexican restaurant, which closed in 2019.

According to a news release from Wegmans, the Natick store is set to close later this summer. A final date has not yet been set. The Natick store employs 365 people, including 142 full-time employees. They will all be offered jobs at other Wegmans stores, according to the company.

"Making these decisions is never easy," Brien MacKendrick, the human resources director for Wegmans' New England division, said in a statement. "However, we do it for the long-term benefit of our people, our customers and our communities. Unfortunately, with this non-traditional location, we are unable to attract enough customers for our business model to work."

Wegmans has five other stores in the greater Boston area - in Burlington, Chestnut Hill, Medford, Northborough and Westwood. The supermarket chain operates 110 stores throughout New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware and Washington. D.C.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Wegmans to close experimental store in Natick, Massachusetts