Vons will be closing one store in Escondido and laying off 65 workers, the company said in a layoff notice filed with the state this week.
The store at 2345 E. Valley Parkway will close to shoppers on May 1, and some workers will remain past that date to fully shut down that location, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice said.
In addition, the company said in a statement sent to The San Diego Union-Tribune on Tuesday that the pharmacy will close to the public on April 16.
“Closing a store is always a tough decision and one we do not take lightly. Like other retailers, we continuously evaluate store performance and market dynamics, and with our focus on growth, occasionally it’s necessary to close locations that aren’t growing or meeting financial expectations,” Vons said in its statement.
Vons, whose parent company is Albertsons, remains “committed to serving the Escondido community” and is investing in “locations that deliver the best experience, such as our remodeled Albertsons on E. Valley Parkway in Escondido, which will have a re-grand opening on May 1,” it added.
The layoff notice said Vons hopes “to place as many associates as possible into positions at another location.” The store is unionized, so the layoffs of the store’s 65 workers will be subject to bumping rights, where senior employees facing job cuts may “bump,” or replace, more junior employees, to preserve the employment status of workers with seniority.
According to the notice, the store’s team includes three bakery staffers, three meat and seafood experts, four pharmacy professionals and around three dozen clerks.
The store, in eastern Escondido, is on a busy throughfare lined with other grocery stores, including a Ralphs, Grocery Outlet, Aldi, Walmart and several specialty markets. An Albertsons is a little over a mile to the west.
A merger between Albertsons and Kroger, the parent company of Ralphs and Food 4 Less, was blocked by a judge in late 2024. In the wake of that failed deal, both companies have announced places to trim costs. Grocery Dive listed 60 Kroger-owned stores last year that were slated for closure. None were in San Diego. In parallel, Albertsons has been eyeing ways to spend less. Among the changes, Albertsons, which also owns Safeway, last year announced in an earnings call that it plans to cut spending by $1.5 billion over the next three years.