CARROLLTON — Two Kroger grocery stores in Greene County are set to close within the coming month, the company said Wednesday.
The Cincinnati-based retailer, the largest U.S. supermarket chain by revenue with 2,920 stores nationwide, has stores in Carrollton and White Hall.
"It's a devastation to the town," White Hall Mayor Brad Staats said. "We're going to lose jobs, revenue, it's going to disrupt a lot of people's lives."
Aside from Kroger, the closest grocery stores to White Hall are 20-plus miles away, in Greenfield, Jerseyville and Jacksonville.
Any of those can be a long trip, Staats said.
Staats is hoping the town will get another grocery store, he said, adding that the lack will create issues for residents who don't drive and, instead, walk to the grocery. The price of gas being in the $3-a-gallon range makes it an issue for those who do drive, he said.