NATICK — Wegmans announced Thursday that it would be closing its Natick location, barely five years after it opened.

The Rochester, New York-based supermarket chain said in a press release that the store would close later this summer, although it has not determined a final closing date.

The store, located within the Natick Mall, was an experimental store for the chain, becoming the first multilevel Wegmans put inside a shopping mall. The 134,000-square-foot store is among the largest in the chain.

"Making these decisions is never easy," said Brien MacKendrick, human resources director, Wegmans New England division, 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."

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The company said it would not be answering any media inquiries.

Employees to be offered jobs at other Wegmans

The Natick store employs 365 people, including 142 full-timers. The company said all employees would be offered positions at other Wegmans stores.

Wegmans announced in 2015 that it would be moving into the Natick Mall, replacing the former JCPenney as an anchor tenant. The store opened in April 2018, bringing in a new era to the mall as a supermarket replaced a department store.

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Other nearby grocery stores

The store has faced fierce local competition, with two Stop & Shop locations, ALDI, Whole Foods Market, Target, WalMart and BJ's all within close proximity. Another grocery store, an Amazon Fresh market, is expected to eventually open at Shoppers World in Framingham.

"We love our Natick community and customers, and we’re eager to pursue new store locations in the area for the future,“ said MacKendrick. “In the meantime, we hope to continue to serve our Natick customers through our e-commerce offerings and our other area stores.”

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Wegmans has five other locations in Massachusetts, with the closest to Natick being in Northborough and Chestnut Hill. Other locations include Burlington, Medford and Westwood. Wegmans noted in its press release that the chain has no plans to close any other stores in Massachusetts.

Wegmans has 110 locations overall, mostly in the Northeast. The company expanded into Massachusetts in 2011 when it built its location in Northborough.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick Mall's grocery store, Wegmans, will close this summer