Kroger is closing around 60 Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores

Shoppers walk in the parking lot of a Ralphs grocery store.

Multiplatform Editor, Newsletters

June 30, 2025 6:32 AM PT

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Under a Kroger plan, California grocery shoppers will have dozens fewer Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores to choose from.

Kroger, the parent company of the California-based grocers, announced its plan to permanently shutter 60 stores in an earnings report for last quarter.

Will it be a location near you? There’s no news yet on which stores would be affected.

But under the plan, some Californians will be dealing with the loss of their neighborhood market. The reason for the closings is the year-over-year loss of millions in earnings. The grocery giant reported net earnings of $866 million for the first quarter of 2025, down from $947 million during the same period last year.

The closures represent a $100-million loss for the company but will lead to a “modest financial benefit,” the company said.

It also said employees working at the affected stores would be offered jobs at other locations.

Combined, there are 272 Ralphs and Food 4 Less locations across the state.

Period of turmoil

The planned closures come amid a tumultuous period for Kroger. Rodney McMullen, the company’s former chairman and chief executive, abruptly stepped down in March following a probe by the company’s board into his personal conduct. The company was mum on details but said this alleged conduct did not involve Kroger workers.

Earlier this month, about 45,000 employees at Kroger and Albertsons authorized a strike to protest what they call unfair labor practices. They haven’t walked off the job yet. But if they do, it would cause major disruption for two of the nation’s largest grocery chains.

Blocked mergers and settlements

The company was also involved in a failed $25-billion merger with rival Albertsons late last year after a judge halted the deal. It would’ve been the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history.

As my colleague Queenie Wong reported in December, the Federal Trade Commission, California and several other states sued to stop the deal, arguing the merger would decimate competition in many parts of the country and leave customers at the mercy of a newly formed behemoth that could drive up prices.

Also last year, Kroger finalized a $122-million settlement with California to resolve lawsuits over the company’s alleged role in the opioid crisis and how its pharmacies dispensed prescription painkillers to customers.

The payment finalized a deal Kroger struck in 2023 to settle nearly all the opioid-related claims filed against it. Although the company didn’t admit to any wrongdoing or liability in the settlement, it did agree to pay nearly $1.4 billion over 11 years to California and other plaintiffs.

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This morning’s must reads

For your downtime

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Restaurants: Food columnist Jenn Harris taste-tested the viral cakes that look like fruit and nuts. Here are some L.A. bakeries that make the best ones.
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Greenways and gardens: This tax-funded native habitat is finally opening to the public after a five-year wait.
Parks and recreation: Planning a trip to the L.A. Zoo? It will now cost you a few dollars more.

Staying in

Books: Here’s a glimpse at the nine LGBTQ+ children’s books targeted in a high court ruling that is upending education policy.
Television: The “Squid Game” finale lays bare a reality: The wealthy win, and nice guys finish last.
Recipes: Here’s a recipe for summer squash chowder.
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And finally ... your photo of the day

Visitors walk the grounds at The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Christina House at the Getty Villa, which reopened Friday for the first time since January’s devastating Palisades fire.