Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. is pulling up roots on Main & Vine, its experimental premium grocery.
The store opened in Gig Harbor, Wash., in 2016 and is expected to close “on or about January 9,” Kroger spokeswoman Kristal Howard told The News Tribune.
Main & Vine was focused on “fresh and local food at reasonable prices,” with an emphasis on education, with recipes and food prep information available to shoppers, along with an events center with cooking demos and drink tastings, according to media reports about the store.
The company reportedly used it as a learning lab for these features in other formats. Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen told the Cincinnati Business Journal the company usually tests concepts at one or two locations before a broader roll-out.
Howard told the The News Tribune that Main & Vine was a “unique venture,” that taught the company “about some of the best ways to provide quality, fresh and new foods to our customers.”
“Our family of companies has already started to incorporate some of these features and unique offerings in other stores across the country,” she told the News Tribune.
Prior to the Main & Vine conversion, the location was a QFC. A new Fred Meyer (also a Kroger banner) is slated to open in Gig Harbor Jan. 10.