Grocery gambit
Randalls checks out of longtime Central Austin location but may open new stores
Randalls is shutting down another grocery store in Austin but is in the market for sites to potentially open new locations in the region.
In an emailed statement, Randalls says the grocer’s store at 1500 W. 35th St. in Central Austin will close by November 6. Randalls’ lease on the store has expired, and the property owner plans to redevelop the site into a mixed-use project.
“We remain committed to the Austin market and invite customers to shop at the remaining Randalls stores, several of which have been recently remodeled. There are no other Randalls locations impacted,” the statement says.
Randalls closed its Southwest Austin store, at West William Cannon Drive and South MoPac Expressway, in early September. The company said the store was “underperforming.”
The grocer has worked to shift employees from the Southwest Austin and Central Austin stores to its remaining seven stores in the region.
As Randalls prepares to wind down operations at its store on West 35th Street, the company says it is hunting for sites in the Austin area for potential new stores. Details about the possible expansion weren’t available.
Boise, Idaho-based grocery chain Albertsons owns Houston-based Randalls. Albertsons acquired Randalls through its 2014 purchase of Safeway.