AN Ohio grocery store has been pushed out of the market as larger chains battle for customer share.
Fishers Foods in Canton, Ohio, a suburb of Akron about 55 miles south of Cleveland, has faced stiff competition from the likes of Aldi and Meijer.
The locally owned and operated stores of Fishers Foods that have been running since 1933 are being forced out of business by an area overly saturated with grocers.
Fishers Foods has announced the sudden closure of one of its stores in Canton which will shutter its doors on July 16.
As a result of the impending closure, the store at 4403 Cleveland Ave. will be open from 9am to 6pm with discounts from 25 percent in an effort to move all remaining stock.
The fourth-generation owner and vice president of the grocer, Alex Fisher blamed unprecedented growth in the market for its struggles.
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Fisher said in a statement: "During this time, we are working closely with United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 880.
"This will allow us to better service each department for our customers and employees while we still are challenged with staffing issues in every department in a market that has had unprecedented growth."
All staff members working at the closing store will be offered a transfer to other locations in the County.
Following the closure of another Fishers Foods store in Plain Township in January 2022, Fisher said that the company was struggling to bring in and keep employees.
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Over the past few years, Meijer has opened its first store in Stark County and is planning to open others in the area.
Alongside this, Aldi has also expanded with the installation of its seventh store in the county, which took the place of a former Fishers Foods store.
While Fisher did not name any grocers specifically, he told The Repository: "In some larger cities, we did not see as many stores as we see within Stark County that we have now, especially some of these larger, big box stores that continue to come within the market."
Not only is Fishers Foods battling with these big-box retailers for customers, but also for employees.
In a Facebook post, the company celebrated its 90th anniversary and thanked the local community for their support, despite trying times.
The post read: "While we have been through a lot of changes in 90 years we still love being a part of each community we serve.
"Thank you to our loyal customers who help support local just as we have for so long!"
Despite closing the Cleveland Avenue store, the company which owns the property is working with a group to ensure the space serves the community well.
Fisher said: "We don't want to leave the area and that community that supported us high and dry by any means.
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"I'm excited to see what the future has for this location and what the future with Fishers can mean for the communities in which we're still able to serve.
"We will definitely be sharing that when the moment is right."
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