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Lucky's Market To Close Montana, Wyoming Stores In February

A supermarket with crates full of citrus
Alan Light
/
Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Lucky's Market in Iowa City, Iowa

A natural food retailer is closing its stores in Montana and Wyoming next month. 

The trade publication Progressive Grocery reports that Lucky’s Market is planning on closing as many as 32 of its 39 stores in 10 states.

Lucky’s Market told the employees at the impacted stores at early morning meetings Tuesday that the Lucky’s in Billings, Missoula and Jackson, Wyoming, would be closing in February.

Tim Winger, general manager of the Southgate Mall in Missoula that houses a Lucky's, said his thoughts are with employees impacted by Lucky's announcement.

“We believe the decision to close Lucky’s Market at Southgate Mall is part of a larger store closing announcement impacting locations across the U.S. While continuing to support existing tenants, our leasing team is actively pursuing new uses, which could include specialty grocery, as well as other tenancy which provides differentiated goods and services. We continue to see strong demand for space at Southgate Mall and will share additional details in the future," Winger wrote in a statement.

Lee Newspapers reports that Lucky’s opened its Billings store in 2014 and the one in Missoula in 2018. According to the corporate website, Lucky’s Market was started in Boulder, Colorado, in 2003 by Trish and Bo Sharon.

These announced closures come on the heels of The Kroger Company’s decision to divest its interest in the retailer following a portfolio review. Kroger was a major backer of the chain.

A Lucky’s Market spokesperson was unavailable for comment. An employee in the Jackson store said the closing was a business decision but it came on suddenly. 

Kay Erickson has been working in broadcasting in Billings for more than 20 years. She spent well over a decade as news assignment editor at KTVQ-TV before joining the staff at YPR. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, with a degree in broadcast journalism. Shortly after graduation she worked in Great Falls where she was one of the first female sports anchor and reporter in Montana.