Video: West Point Kroger Closing, Pantry Impacted

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WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – After serving for West Point for more than 40 years Kroger will soon close its doors.

For many residents making a weekly stop by Kroger was the norm, but that will come to an end on August 15th when the store will no longer be open for business.

Ben Perry Green and several partners own the building where the store is located.

He says the grocery chain chose not to renew its lease.

“They just made a decision over a year ago to go with a month to month lease. I was notified, I guess it was Tuesday, that they didn’t intend to renew their lease any further than August 31st. That they’d be out the door on August 31st,” said Green.

53 people are employed at the West Point Kroger. They will be offered a job at other nearby locations.

It is unclear if Kroger will relocate to another building in West Point.

Here is a statement Kroger issued to WCBI about the closure of the West Point location:

“Each year, we evaluate our stores and unfortunately had to make the hard decision to close this location in West Point. We want to thank all of our associates for their hard work and dedication to Kroger and the West Point community. All 53 Kroger associates will be offered positions with nearby stores. We will continue to serve our Mississippi residents through our stores in the Kroger Delta Division and our work in the community.”

The store’s closing will put a big dent in the supplies at a West Point food pantry.

Living Manna Church operates a pantry that serves about 100 families every month.

They visit and are able to shop at no charge for canned goods and other food essentials.

Kroger also helps out by donating some big ticket items.

“Mostly the perishable goods like meats that people cannot afford. Kroger has donated hundreds and hundreds of pounds to our food pantry. People who can’t afford meat, they just wouldn’t have that source of protein,” said Pantry Director Bettye Brown.

The pantry is now looking for another source of food donations to make up for the loss.