One of Charlottesville's largest shopping centers is losing one of its anchor stores. Friday afternoon, Giant Food announced their decades-old Seminole Square location is closing next month, just as new retail options sprout up around it.
Saul Barodofsky has been shopping at the Seminole Square Giant store for about 30 years. This year will be the last. It's closing at the end of August.
"I think it's terrible and the manager is a really nice man. Good, young man that's been working very hard to keep this place together," he said.
But he says over the years, the store hasn't kept up with the competition.
"You've got corporate management that has no idea what this place looks like. All they see are numbers," said Barodofsky.
Giant's parent company says they decided to close the location after reviewing its recent operating performance. The supermarket had plenty of competition.
Food Lion, Kroger and Whole Foods all sit just around the corner. And right across Route 29 a Trader Joe's is planned for the new Shops at Stonefield.
Glen Hart, another Giant shopper, said, "I mean, I've shopped other stores still, but Giant's number one on the list."
He knows how hard a store closing like this will be for the employees. He works for the Virginia Employment Commission.
"It touches you, because to find another job...to find another job, it's a job. It's a job, to find another job," said Hart.
Just down the Seminole Square walkway, waitress Yolanda Woodfolk at Mykonos Greek Restaurant is shocked by the news.
"Giant is like our family. We come here and get change. We come here and play our lotteries. We come here and get our groceries. You know what I'm saying? It's sad," she said.
For customers with prescriptions, Giant says they'll be transferred to its Pantops Mountain location. The Seminole Square location's last day in business is August 30.
Giant Food
Press Release
Giant Food of Landover, Md. today announced the company will close its store located in the Seminole Square shopping center at 220 Zan Road in Charlottesville, Va. The store will close at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 30, 2012.
"After a thorough review of the operating performance of our stores, we made a very difficult decision to close the Seminole Square location," said Anthony Hucker, president, Giant Food of Landover, Md. "We regret any inconvenience this will cause and encourage our Seminole Square customers to shop at our nearby Charlottesville store located in the Rivanna Ridge shopping center at 1900 Abbey Road."
All pharmacy customers will receive notification by mail in advance of the closing with details about pharmacy record transfers. Prescription records will be transferred to the nearby Giant at 1900 Abbey Road.
For additional information on Giant store locations, visit Giant's website at www.giantfood.com.
Photo Courtesy of www.cvilleshop.com
