FACING increased labor costs, inflation, and less customer demand, stores across the country are closing their doors.
After 35 years in business, a popular grocery chain stunned shoppers after revealing it would be closing down one of its stores by the end of the month.
On July 31, Brookshire Brothers revealed it would be shuttering its doors in Vidor, a small city in Southeast Texas.
Along with the grocery store closure, the company is also shutting down the chain’s gas station and Tobacco Barn on August 24.
The chain’s pharmacy will close on August 23.
Brookshire Brothers’ president and CEO John Alston did release a statement confirming the news.
“Brookshire Brothers wants to extend our deepest appreciation to our loyal customers and dedicated staff who have supported us throughout the years,” Alston said.
1813 News founder Kevin Steele broke the story on his Facebook page.
“We hope to continue those relationships in our surrounding southeast Texas stores,” Alston said, referencing the company’s nearby locations.
“We are assisting our employee-owners during this transition,” Alston continued.
Brookshire Brothers is an employee-owned supermarket chain, with headquarters in Lufkin, Texas.
The company was founded by brothers Austin and Tom Brookshire in 1921.
The private corporation is wholly owned and operated by its 5,600+ employees.
“We are incredibly grateful for their hard work and dedication, and they have all been offered positions within the company.”
Steele also reported that any customers in need of prescription refills or medication transfers after the Vidor pharmacy closes “should call the Lumberton pharmacy at 409-227-2004.”
Prescriptions files are currently being transferred to the Brookshire Brothers Pharmacy in Lumberton, Texas, located at 421 S. Main Street.
Learn More About Brookshire Brothers
Brookshire Brothers has over 100 locations, stretching west to the Texas Hill Country and east to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The company’s mission is “to be good people who sell good food and do good deeds,” as written on its website.
The company operates seven distinct brands, including:
- Brookshire Brothers
- Brookshire Brothers Express
- David’s Supermarkets
- David’s Express
- Pecan Foods
- Brookshire Brothers Pharmacy
- Tobacco Barn
The grocery chain’s website lists over 127 locations in 109 cities and two states, including Texas and Louisiana.
Many locations also incorporate convenience stores, fueling stations, tobacco stores, and free-standing pharmacies.
Cities with the most number of Brookshire locations include:
- Lufkin, Texas (5 stores)
- Nacogdoches, Texas (3 stores)
- Pollock, Granbury, Ganado, Whitney, Meridian, Madisonville, and Canyon Lake, Texas (2 stores)
- DeRidder, Louisiana (2 stores)
“Each store caters to the unique needs of the community it serves,” according to the company’s description.
Brookshire Brothers Company also owns several brands, from food and beverage to pet supplies and florals.
These brands include:
- Fresh Harvest
- Food Club
- Full Circle Market
- Crav’n Flavor
- Simply Done
- Paws
- TopCare
- Cape Covelle Seafood
- CharKing
- WideAwake Coffee Co.
- Tippy Toes
- That’s Smart
- Bloom ‘n Co.
- Red Button Vintage Creamery
- Pure Harmony: Carefully Blended Whole Nutritions
- Over the Top
In 2018, the store launched Brookshire Brothers Anywhere, an online shopping platform for pickup and delivery order.
In 2021, Brookshire Brothers celebrated 100 years of business.
The Lumberton location is about 20 miles northwest of the closing Vidor store.
“They just can’t compete with the large chains,” one of Steele’s Facebook followers commented.
“It was just a matter of time. We all knew it was gunna happen,” another user wrote.
“I really hate to hear this,” one follower wrote, a statement echoed by dozens of others in Steele’s comment sections.
“They lost a good portion of customers to Walmart and K-Dans was the final nail in the coffin,” another user shared.
“On one side (Walmart) you have better prices, on the other (K-Dans) you have better quality,” they added.
K-Dan’s Super Foods, a family-owned supermarket, opened a store earlier this year less than a mile north of Brookshire Brothers’ Vidor location.
“I’m surprised it didn’t happen before now, being in Walmart’s front yard,” another follower commented.
Vidor’s Walmart Supercenter opened its doors in March 2018, right next door to Brookshire Brothers.
No reason was given for the abrupt closure, though the store’s lease does expire at the end of August.
The property is owned by SPP Sunwest Portfolio, LLC, according to the Orange County Appraisal District, and has a current taxable value of $842,507, as reported by Fox affiliate KBTV Fox SETX.
It is unclear what SPP Sunwest Portfolio, LLC, plans to do with the location, or what will happen to current employees at the grocery store, pharmacy, fueling station, and tobacco store.