Maryland Reacts to Shoppers Food Store Closings: A Community Left in the Lurch, Councilmembers Push For Community Support

By Raoul Dennis

When United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) confirmed that four more Shoppers Food Warehouse stores in Maryland will close their doors by early November 2025, it marked another blow to the once-dominant grocery chain that had anchored communities across the Baltimore-Washington region for generations. The closures—Laurel, College Park, Capitol Heights, and New Carrollton—will leave significant gaps in access to affordable groceries and union jobs, drawing sharp rebukes from local leaders and worried reactions from residents who have relied on these stores for decades.

Meanwhile, Shoppers executives say the decisions are being made for the company to “ optimize its footprint and operate as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

A County Council Letter of Challenge

The closures have sparked a formal challenge from Prince George’s County’s elected officials. In a strongly worded joint letter sent October 27 to CEO Sandy Douglas, Councilmembers Tom Dernoga (District 1), Eric Olson (District 3), Krystal Oriadha (District 7), and At-Large members Jolene Ivey and Calvin Hawkins condemned UNFI’s “lack of commitment” and requested an urgent meeting with company executives to discuss reversing the decision.

“Shoppers Food has been a long-time anchor in our county, providing good union jobs and healthy, affordable food,” the letter stated. “Your decision will directly create a food desert. Our constituents—and your customers—deserve a stable food source and a real investment in the community in return for the hard-earned dollars they spend at your stores.”

The councilmembers expressed frustration that the closures were announced without consultation or consideration of their long-term social and economic impact. “We would like to meet with you and your team to discuss how we can ensure you continue investing in these stores and this area,” they wrote, underscoring that local governments stand ready to partner with UNFI if the company demonstrates good-faith engagement.

Should We Be Surprised?

But the upcoming Maryland closings were on the radar as recently as July, and the decline of Shoppers in the county is not new---and without local regional store leadership, the fate of DMV stores has been in the hands of decision-makers who don’t live in the area..

Once a regional powerhouse, Shoppers Food operated 57 supermarkets and controlled more than 8 percent of the Baltimore-Washington market in 2005, generating $1.62 billion in annual revenue. But the company’s fortunes have steadily eroded. By March 2025, its footprint had dwindled to 22 stores and $592.3 million in annual sales—barely 1.6 percent of the market. That dramatic contraction reflects years of disinvestment and shifting corporate priorities after UNFI acquired the chain from SuperValu in 2018.

At the time of the acquisition, UNFI’s then-CEO Steve Spinner promised to stabilize the stores and protect jobs, even reversing earlier closure plans during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure food access in underserved neighborhoods. “The thought of saying to an underserved, difficult market that we were going to close a store that they relied on was just not something we could morally get our head around,” Spinner told trade reporters in 2020.

But since Spinner’s departure and the appointment of current CEO C. Alexander “Sandy” Douglas in 2021, that commitment appears to have waned. Under Douglas, UNFI has shuttered more than 20 Shoppers Food locations across Maryland and Northern Virginia, often without local consultation or reinvestment in the remaining stores. The four additional closures slated for November 8, 2025, appear to seal the fate of what was once one of Maryland’s most recognizable grocery names.

The Company’s Explanation

In a statement to USA Today and Food Trade News, UNFI described the move as a strategic “optimization of its footprint” intended to help the company “operate as effectively and efficiently as possible.” Executives acknowledged the disruption to local employees and shoppers, adding that UNFI would “support team members through this transition” and direct customers to other nearby stores or online grocery delivery services.

“We know the impact our stores have on the people who work in, shop in, and live in our communities,” the company wrote. “Like any other retailer, we’re constantly working to optimize our footprint, which includes investing in stores as well as closing stores where necessary.”

However, residents and local officials see the explanation as a corporate euphemism for abandonment. Critics argue that UNFI’s “optimization” has systematically stripped Prince George’s County and surrounding communities of grocery access and economic stability while the company has focused its resources on its larger Cub Foods brand based in Minneapolis.

A Broader Pattern of Retreat

The Shoppers story fits a pattern of corporate retreat from middle-income and working-class markets that larger chains have deemed unprofitable. Since 2018, Shoppers has closed nearly two-thirds of its stores across the region, often leaving older shopping centers and low-income neighborhoods without a replacement grocer. The closures come despite a pandemic-era surge in food sales and a growing public emphasis on eliminating food deserts in Prince George’s County and neighboring jurisdictions.

Industry analysts note that UNFI’s stewardship of the chain has been characterized by minimal reinvestment. After purchasing Shoppers, the company sold off pharmacy operations, transferred prescription records to competitors, and deferred long-overdue store upgrades. When UNFI reopened three St. Mary’s County stores in 2023—former McKay’s Food locations—each closed again within a year. The lack of regional leadership deepened in April 2025 when longtime vice president and general manager Jeff Bleichner retired after 43 years, leaving major decisions to executives in Minneapolis.

“Without local oversight or capital improvement, there was simply no way for these stores to compete with the refreshed, diversified grocery landscape of the Baltimore-Washington corridor,” one trade analyst wrote in Food Trade News. Competitors such as Giant, Safeway, Lidl, and Aldi have opened or modernized stores in the same period, widening the gap in both brand perception and customer loyalty.

Economic and Community Impact

The latest closures are expected to eliminate dozens of union jobs and further weaken commercial corridors already struggling to recover from pandemic-era economic disruptions. The New Carrollton and Capitol Heights stores, in particular, serve large populations without ready access to full-service grocers. Their disappearance could force residents to travel miles for fresh produce or rely on smaller, higher-priced convenience outlets.

Community advocates describe the decision as short-sighted and damaging. “These stores are more than just places to buy food—they’re employers, gathering points, and symbols of neighborhood stability,” said one local resident interviewed outside the Laurel location. “When they leave, it sends a message that the community doesn’t matter.”

The concern resonates with Prince George’s County’s ongoing efforts to attract and retain retail investment in its inner-beltway communities. Over the past decade, county and state leaders have prioritized policies to combat food deserts through grants, public-private partnerships, and incentives for grocery development. The abrupt Shoppers withdrawals, many fear, will reverse that progress.

Searching for Solutions

Councilmembers and local officials say the fight is not over. They plan to press UNFI for dialogue and explore alternative ownership or co-operative models if the company refuses to reconsider. Community organizations are mobilizing petitions and planning public demonstrations in early November to coincide with the scheduled shutdowns.

“Prince George’s County will not stand by while corporations strip our neighborhoods of essential services,” said Council Vice Chair Krystal Oriadha in a public statement. “We’re exploring every possible path to maintain grocery access and preserve these jobs.”

Residents have also begun discussing potential replacements—regional chains like Weis Markets, Giant Food, or smaller ethnic grocers that have successfully filled vacated spaces in other Maryland jurisdictions. Yet the uncertainty remains high, and for many longtime shoppers, the news feels like the end of an era.

A Legacy at Risk

Founded in 1939 as Jumbo Food Stores by brothers Kenneth and Irving Herman, Shoppers grew from a single D.C. location into a community institution known for discount pricing and customer loyalty. For decades, it was one of Maryland’s leading union grocers, employing thousands and helping define the suburban shopping landscape.

Now, with only 17 stores remaining in the entire region after November, that legacy appears to be fading fast. Industry observers warn that UNFI may eventually exit the retail sector altogether, focusing instead on wholesale distribution and its more profitable national accounts.

For Maryland residents, though, the loss feels personal. “We built our weekend routines around Shoppers,” said longtime College Park resident Linda Green. “It wasn’t just about groceries—it was about seeing neighbors, catching up, and feeling part of something local. Losing that hurts.”