Maplewood Kings will be closing its doors permanently this December as its parent company has struggled to find a buyer for the location. Meanwhile, Mayor Frank McGehee reports that, although saddened by the news, the township is redoubling its efforts to find a new grocery tenant for the space.
Store employees confirmed today that the store will be closed on Monday, November 30, and Tuesday, December 1, in order to transfer inventory to other stores. Maplewood Kings will then re-open on Wednesday, December 2, and remain open through December 11 as it sells off its remaining inventory.
KB US Holdings, Inc., Kings’ parent company, has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11, and recently announced the sale of most of its stores to ACME Markets, a division of Albertsons Companies, Inc. The Maplewood store is one of six outlets in the chain excluded from that sale to ACME.
Employees at the Maplewood store received 60-day “WARN” notices of layoff in mid-November.
“We were very saddened to have been informed of the closure of Kings,” said Mayor Frank McGehee via text this evening. “We have been collaborating with the Kings corporate team as well as with the assigned broker to find a new grocery store company. We have had conversations with potential future occupants leveraging our network throughout the tri-state area. These efforts will continue for weeks to come.”
Village Green has reached out to a Kings spokesperson and will update this story when we receive responses.
