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The supermarket chain Safeway is closing one of its stores in Washington, D.C. on May 16. The Hechinger Mall branch will turn off its lights for good this Saturday, according to the company itself. The pharmacy inside the store had already stopped operating as of April 1.
The company attributed the decision to the expiration of the lease and a strategy of reallocating resources toward other active stores. Employees who wanted to stay received offers to be relocated to nearby branches.
Why is Safeway closing at Hechinger Mall?
Safeway explained that it continuously evaluates its store network and that, in this case, it chose not to renew the lease. The company will prioritize investment in existing locations.
This is not an isolated case. Last year, the chain closed 12 stores in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nebraska. According to UBS projections, the total number of physical stores in the United States could fall by about 45,000 units over the next five years.
Will there be more Safeway closures in the future?
Safeway operates under the Albertsons umbrella, one of the largest supermarket chains in the United States, with more than 2,200 stores across 35 states. The company is carrying out a cost-cutting process aimed at reducing expenses by $1.5 billion by 2027, which includes closing underperforming locations and reallocating resources to more profitable stores.
In 2025 alone, Albertsons has closed at least 30 locations across different brands in its portfolio, including Safeway, Vons, and Jewel-Osco. The trend shows no signs of stopping: it is projected that in 2026 about 7,900 retail stores will close nationwide. Safeway customers can check the chain’s official website to verify the status of their nearest store.